The Blood Runs Deep
by Star Tours Traveler
Summary: Slight AU, Two years after Saren's defeat, Shepard encounters the twin sister he never knew existed, but she brings word of a new threat to the universe. M-Shep/Ash, Kaiden/F-Shep/Liara triangle. Discontinued.
1. Prologue

**Summary: **Slight AU, Two years after Saren's defeat, Shepard encounters the twin sister he never knew existed, but she brings word of a new threat to the universe. M-Shep/Ash, Kaiden/F-Shep/Liara triangle.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing…Mass Effect belongs to the cool guys and girls who made the game.

**A/N:** I'm not going to get into specifics regarding neither Shepards' looks because everyone who's played Mass Effect probably has their own Shepard design, so just use your imagination when trying to get a visual on their looks.

Background and profession wise, Male Shepard has the Spacer, War Hero, and Infiltrator with Max Paragon history. Female Shepard is going to be more of a colonist, sole survivor, and Sentinel styled but not exactly the same history as in the game describes. Female Shepard is also more middle of the road with her morality points.

Also, the AU part is basically because neither Kaiden nor Ashley kicked the bucket on Virmire. Oh and I'm not counting the events that took place in the Mass Effect Books in this story.

* * *

**Location: Milky Way Galaxy/ Exodus Cluster/ Utopia System/ Eden Prime/ Outskirts of the City of Shepard  
Date: March 22****nd**** 2185 (2 years after the Battle for the Citadel)**

Captain John Shepard stood on the slightly blackened surface of the Eden Prime colony with a disheartened look on his face. He was standing from an observation point that overlooked the first new city on the colony since the geth attack two years ago…the city of Shepard.

To his right stood an amused Second Lieutenant Ashley Williams, with whom there was a definite attraction between them…as the occasional bunk action would attest to. To his left stood Staff Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko, who was rather indifferent to the situation at the moment.

"Why did they have to do it?" Shepard asked finally as Ashley had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"You're the first human Spectre, you saved the galaxy, and you helped get humanity a seat on the Citadel Council…and you ask why they name the first new city on Eden Prime after you?" Kaiden asked with a smirk, causing Shepard to groan slightly.

"I know, but I really don't like the fame. I really hoped that I would just fade into obscurity." Shepard said as Ash lost her restraint and burst out laughing.

"Now I'm wishing that I had brought Liara or Wrex along on this little excursion." Shepard said in response to the L.T.'s laughter.

"Oh come on John, you know that I have to get my laugh in!" Ash said as Shepard shot her a glare.

"Williams, remember our agreement? When we're not on the Normandy, we're on a rank or last name basis…when we are on the Normandy, then we can call each other what we want." Shepard said as Ash straightened up and calmed herself.

"Right. Sorry Captain." Ashley said with a salute.

"Don't worry about it Williams." Shepard said with a smile which suddenly disappeared as he turned back to the city.

Kaiden in the meantime looked up into the stars with a thoughtful expression.

"Alenko? Are you alright?" Shepard asked.

"Huh? Oh nothing Captain I was just thinking." Kaiden replied with a shrug.

"You mind sharing on the Mako ride back?" Shepard asked as he turned and headed down the hill to where the Mako was sitting in wait.

"It's kind of personal Captain, nothing you need to worry about." Kaiden replied as Shepard and Williams exchanged concerned looks as they boarded the Mako.

"Normandy this is Shepard…we're heading to the pickup point now." Shepard said from the Mako controls.

"_Ten four Captain. Eta ten minutes."_ Joker said via the comms as the Mako rolled off towards a wide open field.

* * *

**Fifteen Minutes Later…**

Shepard was in his quarters as Liara entered. She was wearing an official Alliance crew uniform. She had become the first alien to join the Alliance military and Shepard had purposefully kept her on the Normandy as an "Alien liaison." Wrex had grown quite fond of Shepard and the crew and asked to tag along. He would pull his own weight and the crew had grown fond of him too.

"Shepard, am I disturbing you?" Liara asked as Shepard looked up from the computer console.

"Not really…just filling out some reports, what do you need Liara?" Shepard asked with a friendly smile.

"I was wondering if I could have a word with you. I feel like there's no one else I can turn to at the moment with my problem." Liara said as she sat down and Shepard arched an eyebrow.

"Problem? What kind of problem?" He asked concerned.

"It's a personal problem. I have what could be considered a romantic attraction to one of the crewmembers, but I fear that the rules of fraternization apply." Liara explained as Shepard nodded knowingly. Being a Spectre had its advantages, which is how Shepard and Williams were able to carry out a relationship in complete disregard of the no fraternization rule.

"Ah, well who is the lucky man…or woman?" Shepard asked with a delighted smirk.

"The new requisitions officer, Corporal Elisa Millhouse, is rather…intriguing." Liara explained with a slight smile.

"Well…as much as I would like to say that the rules don't apply to you…I'm afraid they do. You're an Alliance Service Chief. You're one rank higher than Cpl. Millhouse so I'm afraid that it's a no. Sorry Liara." Shepard said as Liara shrugged.

"It's alright Shepard…I believe there is a human expression that I heard Navigator Pressly use once that seems to fit my reaction…'there is a surplus of marine life in the ocean?" Liara asked as Shepard couldn't help but give off a slight chuckle.

"It's 'there's plenty of fish in the sea,' and don't worry about it Liara. You'll find someone eventually." Shepard said with a caring smile as Liara nodded with a smaller smile.

"I have no doubt of that Shepard. Thank you." Liara said as she turned towards the door.

"My open door policy still stands Liara…unless of course the door light is red." Shepard said as Liara gave him a knowing look over her shoulder as the door closed.

Shepard smiled and chuckled as he turned back to the console.

"Ah Liara-Liara-Liara." He said. He was about to start working on the reports again when Joker interrupted.

"_Captain Shepard! Admiral Hackett's on the FTL and he sounds urgent. Should I patch it through to your quarters or are you busy with the L.T?" _Joker asked casually as Shepard could practically feel the angry heat from Ashley, down in the garage, melting the hull plating between her and Joker for his announcing it on ship wide communications.

"Yes and go ahead and make sure Dr. Chakwas is ready for you…I get the feeling you're going to be her next patient." Shepard said as Joker's nervous gulp could be heard over the comms.

"_Good idea…patching the Admiral through now."_ Joker said nervously.

"_Captain Shepard? This is Admiral Hackett."_ The admiral said as Shepard leaned back in his chair casually.

"Admiral, it's good to hear your voice again. Congratulations on making Fleet Admiral." Shepard said with his newly trained talent of brown-nosing.

"_Thanks but this isn't a friendly call Captain, this is business."_ The admiral said as Shepard nodded understandingly.

"Understood sir, what's the mission?" Shepard asked.

"_An hour ago, fifth fleet intelligence received word that a salarian frigate patrolling the border near the Terminus regions detected a damaged batarian shuttle craft arrive from one of the relays."_ The Admiral explained.

"What's a batarian shuttle doing in Citadel space?" Shepard asked curiously.

"_We don't know. The salarians captured it and contacted us when they found only a single human passenger on board. According to the salarian captain, they lack the skills to treat human injuries and the Normandy is the only ship within range to assist."_ The Admiral explained as Shepard nodded understandingly.

"We're on our way…but I'll probably have to wait until my pilot's out of the infirmary." Shepard said as he faintly heard Joker pleading for mercy and what sounded like snapping twigs from the deck above.

"_I'm not quite sure that I follow."_ The admiral replied with a confused tone.

"Our pilot has Vrolik's syndrome Admiral, brittle bone disease…let's just say that he made a wrong move." Shepard said with a cheeky smirk.

"_I see. Good luck Shepard, Fifth Fleet out."_ the Admiral said as the communication line ended. Shepard then flipped on the ship wide comm.

"Lt. Alenko report to the helm controls and set a course for the Sykx Theta cluster." Shepard ordered as he headed for the bridge.

* * *

**A few minutes later…**

The Normandy flew up along side of the salarian frigate where the two ships extended boarding shafts.

Shepard, Wrex, Liara, and a vindicated Williams, walked up to the salarian airlock with a pair of orderlies from the infirmary behind them pushing a gurney. Finally the door to the salarian ship opened up, revealing a rather familiar salarian captain.

"Captain Kirrahe, is that you?" Shepard asked with a surprised look.

"Commander Shepard, it is indeed good to see you again." The salarian captain said with what could be qualified as a smile.

"Its Captain now but it's good to see you're still around." Shepard said as Kirrahe nodded.

"I suppose you're here for the human we pulled from the batarian shuttle, so I better show you to the infirmary." Kirrahe led them inside.

As they passed through the ship, Wrex noticed the surprised looks of the largely salarian crew as they saw the hulking krogan. He silently snickered at their expressions.

"They look like they haven't seen a krogan before." Wrex said as Ashley nodded.

"Well would you expect to see a krogan emerge from a human ship without a pair of stasis cuffs on their wrists?" Ashley asked as Wrex shrugged.

"Dunno…would you expect to see a salarian emerge from a med clinic having not wanted to dissect or study something?" Wrex asked back as Ashley snickered.

"Ooh nice one Wrex." Ashley said with a smirk. She and Wrex had bonded over the years like soldiers do and they had a healthy respect and trust of each other.

"Doctor Zubzwas, is our chief medical officer on board here." Kirrahe said as they entered the infirmary and motioned to a salarian with slightly red blood stained surgical scrubs on.

"The patient is stable and I believe she can be moved without risk." The doctor said as Shepard and the Normandy crewmen froze.

"She?" Shepard asked surprised.

"Yes, I believe that the human is a female." Zubzwas said as Shepard and the orderlies approached the medical bunk. It was indeed a human woman.

The woman was about Shepard's age, and her hair color was the same as his. From what he could see of her skin, she had been through a lot. There were several old surgical scars that descended into the crude human clothes the salarians had put her in. There were also a number of bruises and a few electrical burns on her in various places.

"Any idea what happened to her?" Shepard asked as the orderlies went about putting her on the gurney.

"Not exactly but her wounds are consistent with those of several previous human slaves we've rescued from ships that we've encountered." Dr. Zubzwas explained as Shepard, Ash, and Liara gave him a horrified look. Wrex left with the orderlies as they headed back to the Normandy.

"A slave?" Ash asked in shock.

"Yes I'm afraid so." Captain Kirrahe explained remorsefully.

"The last time humans were taken as slaves were during the blitz. I know there were a few taken but not many." Shepard explained as Kirrahe shrugged.

"Whatever happened to her is most likely to be tragic. I hope that she survives this ordeal and…oh what is the human term? 'Lands on her feet?" Kirrahe asked as Shepard nodded.

"That's the one, and you're not alone in hoping for the best." Shepard said with a nod.

"Indeed. We will be resuming our patrol route as soon as you leave. If you'd like we could transfer the damaged shuttle to your vessel?" Kirrahe asked as Shepard nodded.

"Council techs will want to look it over. We'll take it to the Citadel for you." Shepard said as Kirrahe nodded.

"I'll have my engineers transfer it to your vessel." Kirrahe said as they left the infirmary.

"Thank you Captain. Take care of yourself and be sure to tell Commander Rentola I said hello." Shepard said as he headed for the airlock.

"I shall Captain. And do take care of yourself as well." Kirrahe replied as the airlock door closed behind the human Spectre.

* * *

**Back on the Normandy…**

Shepard emerged to see Joker back in his usual seat.

"Joker I thought Williams had killed you?" Shepard said with a sarcastically shocked tone as Joker grimaced.

"I wish she had Captain. Thankfully I've become an expert in how to tend to my legs when they break. I probably set a record for getting in and out of the doc's office so fast." Joker replied as Shepard gave him an amused smirk.

"I guess that would come in handy. Can you still fly this bucket?" Shepard asked as Joker nodded.

"Like I said before Captain, I don't fly the ship with my feet, and the L.T. only went for my legs so I'm good to go." Joker replied,

"Good, set a course for the Citadel." Shepard said as Joker gave a small salute.

"You got it Captain." Joker said as Shepard headed back towards the infirmary.

Shepard reached the infirmary where Alenko and Williams stood waiting outside.

"Any word?" Shepard asked as the two shook their head.

"Nope." Ashley replied.

"If anyone can help her it's Dr. Chakwas. Besides Liara's been studying human biology from her and she's been able to provide some biotic assistance to the process." Kaiden explained as Ashley gave him an amused look.

"When you say that she's been learning human biology from the doc, do you mean by the book or by 'practice?" Ashley asked with a sneaky smirk.

"Get your mind out of the gutter Ash." Kaiden said the door to the infirmary opened.

"You'll be pleased to know that I expect her to make a full recovery." Dr. Chakwas said from the doorway.

"Good to hear doctor. How is she right now?" Shepard asked.

"She's resting comfortably right now and I'm going to request that she not be disturbed for the time being. I'll permit an armed guard as a precaution but until she wakes up on her own accord, there will be no questions asked." Chakwas said as Shepard nodded in agreement.

"It's your call doctor. We're heading to the Citadel, maybe she'll be in better condition than she is now by the time we get there." Shepard replied.

"Good. There are a few more tests I want to run on some samples I took from her before we get there." The doctor said as Shepard nodded.

"Take all the time you need." Shepard said as the doctor made way for Liara to exit and closed the doors behind her.

"If that was any indication of what the slaves taken during the Skyllian blitz suffered through in their life of slavery, then I feel great sympathy for them." Liara said mournfully as Shepard nodded in agreement.

"The blitz was a horrific experience. I pray that no one ever sees anything like the blitz ever again." Shepard replied as Ashley gave him a glare.

"What and Eden Prime two years ago wasn't worse?" Ashley asked.

"I'm still deciding which was worse Ash…both battles saw humans being enslaved in one way or another but in the case of Eden Prime, killing them quickly became the more merciful option." Shepard replied as they all recalled the horrors of the geth husks and the dragon's teeth.

"You've got a point there Captain…but we all have battles we would rather forget. Like Eden Prime for Ash and myself, and possibly the incident on Noveria with you Liara." Kaiden explained as Liara lowered her head mournfully.

"You are right. We all have past encounters that we would prefer be left forgotten." Liara replied as the four nodded.

"I better go file my report and inform Admiral Hackett of our status." Shepard said as he headed for his quarters.

"Need some company?" Ashley asked with a jump of her eyebrows that made Shepard smirk knowingly.

"I could use some help now that you mention it." Shepard said as Ashley followed him into his quarters.

"I think I'll go see how Joker's doing on the bridge." Kaiden said rather frantically after a moment of awkward silence.

"I believe I shall speak with Pressley regarding the Blitz." Liara said as she hurried after him. Shepard and Ashley were silently snickering as they quietly watched the two scurry to the stairs via the computer monitor.

Back in the infirmary, Dr. Chakwas was typing up the medical report on the woman lying unconscious on the bunk nearby as she sipped a warm mug of coffee.

She then heard a ding come from one of the medical devices behind her. She pressed a button on her computer and brought up a screen displaying the results of a blood test. The results made her lean forward in disbelief.

"What? This can't be right. There has to be some mistake!" the doctor said frantically. She quickly ran the test again but the same results were returned.

Dr. Chakwas sat back in disbelief as she read the results on the screen. She then printed them out and highlighted a part that read…

"_Positive DNA match. Blood match: ninety nine percent. Patient J. Doe's DNA matches subject J. Shepard 99 out of one hundred."_

_Patient identified as Jane Shepard. Known relatives, Dr. Phillip Shepard (Father), Capt. Hannah Shepard (Mother), and __Capt. John Shepard (Brother)__."_

* * *

**End Chapter 1**

Please R&R…

Tali & Garrus's absence will be explained in the next chapter.

Also, like Dr. Chakwas's name is an anagram of Hacksaw, Dr. Zubzwas's name is an anagram of Buzz saw.


	2. Family Ties

Shepard and Ashley had been fooling with Liara and Kaiden's minds and Ashley had left to return to checking the weapons downstairs.

Shepard in the meantime had just finished the reports when there was a frantic knock on the door.

"Captain, are you there? It's urgent!" Dr. Chakwas said from the other side.

"Doctor? What's wrong? Is our patient okay?" Shepard asked as Dr. Chakwas entered with a piece of paper in her hand.

"She's fine but I found something in her blood tests that was very startling." Dr. Chakwas said as she handed him the paper. Shepard read it carefully and froze when he reached the known relatives part.

"Is this accurate?" Shepard asked stunned.

"Double checked. She is undoubtedly related to you. The computer identified her from the colonist records at Elysium prior to the Blitz." Dr. Chakwas replied. Shepard stood frozen in thought.

"But…how is this possible? My mother said I was an only child." Shepard said as the doctor shrugged.

"That's not for me to say. I better return to my duties, I just wanted you to see those results. Good day sir." The doctor said as she headed for the door. Shepard was stunned as he sat down in disbelief.

He turned to the computer.

"Joker, what's our ETA?" Shepard asked.

"_Five minutes out from the Citadel, Captain."_ Joker replied over the comms as Shepard began looking up something on the computer.

"Good, keep me posted." Shepard said. He then found what he was looking for, a list of Alliance ships that were assigned to protect the Citadel. He scrolled down the list until he found one ship in particular, the SSV Kilimanjaro. The Kilimanjaro was under his mother, Commander now Captain Hannah Shepard's command and was the only Alliance Dreadnaught assigned to the Citadel.

Shepard quickly prepared a text message to send to the Kilimanjaro when they arrived. The message read…

**To: Capt. H. Shepard, SSV Kilimanjaro  
From: Capt. /Spectre J. Shepard, SSV Normandy  
Subject: We need to talk.**

"**It is imperative that I speak with you. Meet me in the Embassy lounge in the Presidium."**

**John.**

Shepard leaned back in his chair as he saved the message in the outgoing transmission buffer so it would be transmitted when they reached the Citadel.

He closed out his computer to show his desktop background of the entire Normandy crew from two years ago, including Tali and Garrus.

Garrus had returned to C-Sec and had re-applied for Spectre training. Shepard had personally written him a glowing review in favor of Garrus's application. But at the moment Garrus was a high ranking C-Sec officer, and worked immediately under Executor Pallin in the C-Sec office in the Embassy area of the Presidium.

Tali, naturally, had left to complete her pilgrimage. Shepard gave her an Alliance Comms beacon that would allow her to contact Shepard if necessary. Tali had indeed returned to the Flotilla with a dandy prize for her people, she had returned with seven transports full of food, medical supplies, and resources for the Flotilla as a goodwill gesture from Shepard, the Citadel, and the Alliance. Tali would occasionally write to Shepard and the Normandy crew, informing them of her life back with the Flotilla, and how much she missed them.

Shepard silently hoped to see his two former comrades again, Tali more than Garrus because of the latter's position at C-Sec.

Finally he headed for the bridge, where he arrived just as the Citadel came into view.

* * *

**Later…**

Shepard entered the Presidium from the C-Sec offices with Ashley, Alenko, Liara, and Wrex close behind.

"Captain you haven't said a word since we got here. Are you okay?" Kaiden asked as Shepard ignored him and remained silent.

"I think he's pissed." Wrex guessed.

"I'm more worried at who he's pissed at and why…and what's going to happen to them if or when he unleashes on 'em." Ashley replied as they reached the Embassy offices, passing Avina as they went.

They entered the passageway that led to the C-Sec office and the Embassy Lounge as Shepard headed straight for the Lounge, Ashley, Kaiden, and Liara however paused in front of the C-Sec doors. Wrex continued following Shepard.

"Uh skipper? Don't you want to see Garrus? Isn't that why you're here?" Ashley asked concerned as Shepard paused.

"In a minute, I've got business to attend to in here. You can go ahead if you want to." Shepard said as Ashley shrugged.

"Okay then." Ashley said as they opened the doors to the C-Sec office and the three went inside.

"Wrex you don't have to follow me." Shepard said as he noticed the krogan battlemaster behind him.

"Hmm…follow you or see the turian…hard choice." Wrex said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"(Sigh) alright but please don't listen in on the conversation, I would prefer it remain private." Shepard said as Wrex shrugged.

"Whatever, I'll just stand somewhere and look menacing." Wrex replied with a wry smile as the two entered the lounge. Shepard scanned the crowd until he saw the person he was looking for…An aged silver haired woman in her fifties wearing an Alliance Military uniform with Captain's bars on her lapel. Visually her hair was styled like Dr. Chakwas's hair but she shared Shepard's eye color and a few of his facial features. She was Captain Hannah Shepard…his mother.

"John, it's good to see you." Hannah said with a smile as she stood up and embraced her son.

"We need to talk mother." Shepard said as he noticed Wrex's startled reaction from the bar out of the corner of his eye.

"Mother?" Wrex asked quietly.

"About what son? Your message wasn't really detailed but I assumed it was urgent. Lucky for me I was already here in the Presidium when I got your message." Hannah asked as she and her son sat down at a corner table.

"This was a recent development. A while ago, a salarian frigate intercepted a batarian shuttle with a single human passenger aboard. She was a slave taken during the blitz. We brought her to the Normandy to receive medical treatment and the doctor found this when she ran a blood test." Shepard explained as he tossed the folded up paper with the blood test results onto the table.

Hannah picked it up, unfolded it, and froze as she read it. She then sighed.

"I knew this day would come." She said sadly.

"Well?" Shepard asked impatiently.

"It's about time I told you, son. You see, you weren't an only child when you were born. Your father and I never got along well. We tried counseling and anything we could think of short of divorce. We then tried one final option; we tried to use parenthood as a reason for staying together. Unfortunately it didn't work out and the divorce proceedings started anyway. When you were born, you were not alone. I gave birth to your sister a few minutes later. After that your father and I began battling over custody rights. It took an asari ombudsman to settle it. She suggested that we separate the two of you. You went with me, and Jane went with your father. I told you your father was dead because I didn't want you wondering where he was. I also didn't want you to know about Jane." Hannah explained.

"But Dad is dead now Mother…the casualty reports from the Blitz confirmed it." Shepard replied.

"I know that son. If you recall, that was one of the reasons that I went to Elysium after the Blitz was over…to identify his body." Hannah said with sadness clearly audible in her voice.

"You still loved him…didn't you?" Shepard asked as Hannah sighed.

"Yes I did. Part of me always hoped we would get together again but I knew better. I tracked his movements until the year he died, just to see if he was still okay." Hannah replied.

"Then what about Jane? She's currently in the medical clinic here in the Presidium if you want to see her." Shepard said as Hannah thought for a moment then shook her head.

"Not yet. I don't think I could face her without letting my emotions run rampant. Especially since you said that she was a slave." Hannah replied.

"Okay then. But eventually you're going to have to see her." Shepard said as Hannah nodded.

"I know but…I'm just not strong enough to do it. I need some time to prepare myself for that inevitable meeting." Hannah said as she stood up.

"I guess this is goodbye for now." Shepard said as he stood up too.

"For now. But please, don't tell her about me until I have a chance to see her too." Hannah requested as she gave her son a small kiss on the cheek before turning and heading out the door. Shepard stood solemnly as he watched her go.

"Wow. Who would have thought that woman was your mother and the chick in the med clinic was your sister?" a familiar voice said from nearby. Shepard spun around to see Joker sitting in a wheelchair behind him.

"How long have you been there?" Shepard asked with a hint of frustration.

"Oh long enough. But at least I wasn't alone." Joker replied as he motioned to the bar where Wrex, Ashley, Kaiden, Liara, and now Garrus stood with amazed expressions…well everyone but Wrex at least.

"Joker…I hope you can swim." Shepard said as he looked out towards the lake outside.

"Oh-look-at-the-time-I-gotta-go!" Joker said as he expertly maneuvered his chair out the door and headed straight for the Normandy.

"Shepard? The girl in the med clinic is your sister?" Liara asked surprised.

"(Sigh) Apparently so. I never knew she existed until now. I suppose I better go check on her." Shepard said as Garrus nodded.

"I would agree Shepard, but the council wants to meet with you in the tower as soon as possible." Garrus said as Shepard sighed.

"Okay then. Liara, Kaiden, I want the two of you to head to the med clinic and keep an eye on her." Shepard instructed as the two nodded.

"Don't worry Captain, we'll protect her." Kaiden said as he and Liara headed out.

* * *

**In the Council Chambers…**

Shepard approached the meeting ramp where the Council meetings took place, and stopped as he saw the Council approaching their podiums.

Captain, now councilman Anderson was standing proudly wearing his best business suit from behind his podium amongst the council representatives.

"Captain Shepard, we've been given the report by the technicians regarding their findings with the batarian shuttle you brought in. The report is most curious." The salarian councilman said.

"The Shuttle contained several data discs that belonged to some new radical group forming in the Terminus systems. They call themselves the 'Children of the Reapers.' Apparently they are attempting to unite the Terminus systems if only to openly attack the Citadel and bring back the Reapers since Saren failed." The turian councilman said as Shepard arched an eyebrow but said nothing.

"I expected as much in the aftermath of the attack of the Citadel, but according to the data, their numbers are growing at a fast rate. Apparently they view the Normandy's entry into Terminus space as an act of aggression, Saren had struck several bargains with numerous Terminus warlords and they view his death at your hands as an act of war!" Councilman Anderson said as Shepard shifted his weight nervously.

"I get the feeling they're not willing to negotiate." Shepard said as the asari councilwoman shook her head.

"We've already sent an emissary to try and negotiate, but to no avail. Their bodies were sent back in various states of dismemberment." The councilwoman replied.

"The Normandy's entrance into the Terminus systems was my fault alone. There's no reason for them to attack Citadel space." Shepard said as the turian councilman shook his head.

"We've tried to tell them that. But since we refused to revoke your Spectre status prior to the mutiny on the Normandy, they believe that you trespassed into their systems on our behalf. They also believe that the Reapers are a group of exiled synthetics that had secretly been plotting against the Citadel and its members since the Council's formation." The turian councilman explained.

"So they're going to look for the Reapers?" Shepard asked.

"The data discs were partially corrupted but I believe that it's safe to say that they are indeed going to start looking for the Reapers." Anderson said with his arms crossed.

"I can't help but feel I'm to blame for all this." Shepard said as the asari councilwoman gave him a concerned look.

"You blame yourself for preventing a galaxy wide genocide? If anything your actions should be praised instead of condemned. War with the Terminus systems has been inevitable for centuries, we all knew it was a matter of time before they decided to try and wage war against us." The councilwoman said.

"There is another matter of concern here Shepard…" the salarian councilman said, "…this woman that was found in the shuttle, we have heard rumors that she is of some biological relation to you?"

"Yes, according to both the chief medical officer on the Normandy, and my own mother, Capt. Hannah Shepard, this woman is my biological twin sister." Shepard replied as the council looked at each other.

"Did you know of her prior to meeting her?" Anderson asked.

"No sir, I never knew she even existed. My mother can explain this somewhat peculiar situation better than I can." Shepard replied as the council nodded.

"We shall be sure to speak with both your mother and your sister, Captain. Until then we would like to request that you remain here on the Citadel for the time being." The salarian said as Shepard nodded.

"My crew's been overdue for some R&R anyway, so I'm not leaving the station any time soon." Shepard replied as the asari councilwoman nodded.

"Very well then, this meeting of the council is adjourned." She said as Shepard turned and headed down the stairs were Ash, Garrus, and Wrex stood waiting.

"Well at least we're not in trouble." Ashley said as Wrex scoffed.

"Yet." He added.

"This whole situation sounds strange. There's something more to this, I can feel it in my gut." Garrus said as Shepard nodded.

"I owe you an apology Garrus, I never said hello to you." Shepard said as Garrus gave a chuckle.

"Given the circumstances Shepard, I doubt my personal feelings were of any consequence. There is no reason for you to apologize." Garrus said as Shepard shrugged.

"Well, it eases my conscience." Shepard replied as Garrus gave a courteous nod.

"I understand Shepard." Garrus said as Shepard's comlink activated.

"_Shepard this is Alenko, Jane's coming around!" _Kaiden reported.

"We're on our way Lieutenant; we'll take the rapid transit." Shepard said as they headed towards the console.

* * *

**Earlier in the Med Clinic...**

Alenko and Liara arrived at the clinic as the salarian doctor approached.

"I assume that you two are the guards sent to watch this patient?" the salarian asked.

"Staff Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko, SSV Normandy, this is Service Chief Liara T'Soni…we've been sent by Captain Shepard to make sure she's okay." Kaiden introduced as the doctor nodded understandingly.

"She's still unconscious and I've treated her injuries. Poor thing took quite a beating, it's fortunate that you got her here as quick as you did." The salarian doctor said.

"I understand if you wish to cite doctor, patient confidentiality but is there anything we need to worry about?" Kaiden asked as the doctor paused then shifted his gaze around nervously.

"Well…" he said in a hushed tone, "…I did find something most peculiar about those surgical incisions. It's something that I've seen before with a number of previous cases a few years ago."

"What seems to be the problem?" Liara asked.

"Several years ago, a once semi-respected salarian geneticist named Dr. Saleon was discovered to be cloning organs within his employees, essentially using them as living test tubes." The doctor explained.

"We are aware of the late doctor Saleon's activities. One of our former companions was the C-Sec officer who investigated his activities. Garrus Vakarian." Liara replied.

"Garrus huh? Well it would seem that you are fully aware of the situation. I'm afraid this woman is another one of those test tubes, as an additional heart, third lung, and second liver will attest to. However I'm afraid that she was the test tube for a newer geneticist. These incisions are only slightly over a year old." The doctor explained.

"Another organ cloner, but from within the Terminus Systems? Oh this cannot be good. I'll gather that there are some deformed organs inside of her too?" Kaiden asked as the doctor shook his head.

"Surprisingly no. Apparently all the cloned organs, except for the ones I just mentioned, were removed, both healthy and otherwise, for unknown reasons." The doctor replied.

"I am curious, how do you know about Dr. Saleon's activities?" Liara asked.

"I do some work for C-Sec now and then. I was the doctor called in to treat a subject that was bleeding profusely during interrogation. That's how I learned about Saleon's work. I can understand cloning the organs for people in desperate need for a transplant…but to sell these organs on the black market, is repulsive in my opinion." The doctor explained as a moan was heard from the bunk nearby.

They all turned to see Jane Shepard stirring slightly. Kaiden instinctively reached for his comlink.

"Shepard this is Alenko, Jane's coming around!" Alenko reported.

"_We're on our way Lieutenant; we'll take the rapid transit." _Shepard replied from the other end.

Finally Jane's eyes fluttered open as they all gathered around.

"W-where? Where am I?" she asked drowsily.

"You are in a Medical clinic in the Presidium of the Citadel. Are you alright?" Liara asked as Jane's eyes adjusted to the light.

"I-I don't know." Jane replied, "Who are you? Some asari angel?"

"No. My name is Doctor and Service Chief Liara T'Soni of the Alliance vessel Normandy. Do not be afraid Shepard, you are in good hands." Liara said softly as Jane laid back against the mattress.

"I made it." She said with a sigh of total relief.

* * *

**End Chapter 2.**

Please R&R…


	3. Enter Jane Shepard

The hover transport stopped with a jerk, and Wrex got out with a smug grin. Behind him he left an infuriated Shepard, Williams, and Garrus.

"Wrex! Next time you're walking!" Shepard grunted as the three crawled out from the transport.

"I knew we should never have drawn straws as to who got to drive." Ashley grumbled.

"I knew you should have never introduced Wrex to that vile human thing called a bean burrito." Garrus said as Wrex just gave the turian a smug grin.

"You obviously have never fought using gas grenades before. That was a flowerbed compared to a krogan gas grenade." Wrex said as the turian just sighed.

"I hope I never have to use one." Garrus said as they entered the med clinic.

"Alenko, how is she?" Shepard asked as Kaiden glanced inside. Jane was rolled over on her side, facing away from the door and towards Liara.

"She's awake but still really tired. She was a little disoriented at first but fortunately she's okay at the moment." Kaiden replied.

"Has she said anything?" Shepard asked.

"Nothing of any interest I'm afraid." Kaiden replied.

"Can I talk to her?" Shepard asked as Kaiden shrugged and gestured towards the medical bunk where Jane lay silently as Liara sat nearby.

"Captain." Liara said as she noticed Shepard enter. Jane turned her head towards the approaching Captain and her eyes widened.

"John?" Jane asked breathlessly as she saw him approach.

"You have me at a disadvantage miss-?" Shepard asked, playing dumb.

"My name is Jane Hannah Shepard. You're my brother John Phillip Shepard." Jane said as John stood stunned. She knew the truth.

"How long have you known?" John asked as Jane sighed.

"My…Our father told me when I was young. He told me everything. Everything about you, Mom, the reasons for their separation, and even what happened to you over the years. We've kept track of you through the extranet and on occasion…the Shadow Broker." Jane explained as John sat down next to her.

"You've kept tabs on me?" John asked surprised.

"Haven't you tried to track me down?" Jane asked with a hopeful smile as John sighed.

"To be honest…I never knew you existed until today." John said as Jane gave him a disheartened look.

"Oh. I see." Jane said sadly.

"That doesn't mean that I don't want to know more about you. Our DNA has been put through several tests, and every time, the results come back positive…we're a ninety nine percent match." John said as Jane sighed with a faint smile.

"That missing one percent is probably because I'm a female…otherwise if I were a guy, it would possibly be a one hundred." Jane said as Kaiden approached from behind her.

"You seem to know a lot about modern biology." John said as Jane gave a snicker.

"That's because our father was a biologist…a xenobiologist to be precise. He taught me a few things. Such as how to live with this-Augh!-" Jane said as she grimaced and put her hand to her forehead in pain, "…to live with this damned L2 implant! Ugh!"

"You're an L2?" Kaiden asked before he could stop himself, receiving a glare from the Captain.

"Most of my life." Jane replied with a heavy breath as the migraine subsided, "Father was a scientist for some defunct corporation called Conatix Industries, and the kids of the scientists involved received better treatment than the other kids at Jump Zero."

"You were at Jump Zero?!" Kaiden asked eagerly as he ran around to the other side to face the now startled Jane Shepard.

"Have we met?" Jane asked confused.

"Does the name Kaiden Alenko sound familiar at all?" Kaiden asked as Jane thought for a moment.

"It was so long ago…let's see I'm thirty two now…that was about fifteen years ago, I was seventeen then. You were how old?" Jane asked.

"I was fifteen then. I was friends with a girl named Rahna. Does any of that ring any bells?" Kaiden asked as Jane's eyes lit up.

"Rahna…that girl who got her arm broken by that turian right?" Jane asked as Kaiden sighed and nodded.

"I remember you…you were the one that killed him right? I saw you on the security cameras. You're the one my dad really went crazy over. He thought you were the most powerful human born biotic to ever come out of that group." Jane said with a smile.

"Speaking of which…" John interrupted, "…what happened to our father after that?"

"Dad and I moved from new colony to new colony after that so that there was someone with medical expertise there until a more permanent doctor could arrive. He taught me a lot about Xenobiology. And for a while before the blitz, I was his assistant." Jane explained.

"So you're an L2 biotic…how did you get captured by the batarians during the blitz?" John asked as Jane shrugged.

"It was all such a blur…one minute I'm helping dad get to the emergency shelter, the next I wake up on a batarian ship with a pair of stasis cuffs on my hands and ankles…though I think it had to do with a blackout." Jane replied.

"Blackouts were one of the symptoms that plagued some of the L2 biotics when under heavy stress. It's possible that she could have blacked out during the blitz and the batarians simply picked her up." Kaiden said as Jane nodded.

"He's not wrong about the blackouts." Jane said as John thought for a moment.

"This may be a touchy subject but…what happened after the blitz?" John asked as Jane sighed.

"Well…first I was sold to a batarian crime boss. He never called me by name, he just pressed a button on his wrist and a light electrical zap from my slave collar would tell me he wanted me. If I didn't respond in a timely manner, he would up the charge. I was his house slave for about three years…before he was murdered by a gang of krogan mercs who he had double crossed." Jane explained.

"I'm surprised that you couldn't use your biotic powers to free yourself." Kaiden said as Jane gave an exasperated sigh.

"It wouldn't have done any good. His hideout was swarming with guards, and my biotic abilities weren't powerful enough then to do much." Jane replied.

"So what happened after that?" John asked.

"The mercs took me to Omega station and sold me off to a Lystheni salarian biotics expert and geneticist named Qulian. Don't make me try and pronounce his full name. He used me as a lab rat for his own homemade biotic amps. He would use my medical knowledge to help him with another rather unholy practice." Jane explained.

"Organ cloning, like Dr. Saleon." Kaiden said as Garrus overheard.

"Did someone mention Dr. Saleon?" Garrus asked as he approached from behind where Jane couldn't see him.

"Apparently Jane here was one of the test tubes used by a Saleon wannabe." John replied as Jane laughed.

"Dr. Qulian was smarter than Saleon, or Dr. Heart or whatever he called himself at the time. I should know, Qulian was the one who introduced Saleon to the organ cloning trade." Jane replied as Garrus gave her a surprised look.

"Really? Please continue." Garrus said as Jane shrugged.

"Well the thing he did with me was he made me push my biotic abilities to the limit. He eventually discovered a means as to help prevent the blackouts. He started cloning organs inside of me and several other human slaves he had. However in my case he cloned an extra heart and lung to help combat the blackouts. He naturally cloned other organs in me like livers, kidneys, intestines, etcetera." Jane explained.

"But you still have two livers." Kaiden said as John gave him a curious look.

"Lieutenant? How do you know this?" John asked.

"Liara and I spoke with the doctor before she woke up, he told us about her extra organs." Kaiden replied.

"I can only assume that there are some deformed or malfunctioning organs inside of her right now then." Garrus said as Jane shook her head.

"Not with Dr. Qulian. He removed even the bad organs. He would study them to see what went wrong in the cloning process and try to fix it. He was probably the kindest master I had…pity he got killed by one of his own lab techs." Jane said with a sigh.

"Oh that makes a whole lot of difference. An organ cloner with a conscience and he still uses his slaves as test tubes." Garrus grumbled.

"What happened to the doctor?" John asked, ignoring Garrus's remark.

"Like I said, he was murdered by one of his lab techs, a batarian who was secretly working for his financier whom the doctor owed a sizable debt to. After that the batarian just let us go…obviously this is why I still have an extra liver. It was still growing when the doctor was killed…does anyone need a liver transplant by the way?" Jane asked in all seriousness.

"So what happened after that?" John asked.

"I used my biotic abilities and skills with an Omni-tool to scrape together as honest a living as one could in the Terminus Systems…that included some light mercenary work however." Jane explained.

"Hold on…you can use an Omni-tool?" John asked.

"Well…that was something one of my ex-boyfriends taught me to use. He was a mechanic on Elysium. He even bought and gave me one for my birthday one year. I refined my skills further with a technician that the batarian crime lord had locked up. He was showing me how to crack the tough locks and decrypt technology. In fact when those krogan burst in on the crime boss, I was the one who managed to deactivate the security systems that allowed the krogan to get inside so easily." Jane explained.

"I see. But how did you escape into Citadel space?" John asked.

"Well, it took some searching but I finally found an agent for the Shadow Broker. My father was a relatively good customer and was friends with one of his agents before the blitz. So out of sympathy, the Shadow Broker gave me a freebie on some information, he told me about what happened to you after the Blitz…this was last year mind you." Jane said as a smirk crossed her face.

"I was quite impressed…Spectre Shepard." Jane said as John gave her a smirk back.

"So you know about the events of two years ago?" John asked as Jane nodded.

"Yep, I wanted to help you out somehow, so I asked the Shadow Broker if there was anything I could do to get you some information on that cult, the 'Children of the Reapers' and get to Citadel space at the same time. The Shadow Broker gave me a mercenary job to track down an exiled quarian tech and kill him for betraying one of the Shadow Broker's agents to a rival crime boss…I succeeded." Jane explained.

"After that, the Shadow Broker told me where he had a ship ready for me and that data discs on the cult would be waiting for me. I went there and sure enough, there was a shining new batarian long range shuttle with a set of data discs in a box on the pilot's seat. But my departure was a bit bumpy. Apparently, one of the batarian guards, who worked for my first master, spotted me and wanted to take me as his slave. He nearly had me if an asari commando hadn't stepped in and killed him first." Jane explained.

"An asari commando? That was a lucky break. Was she sent by the Shadow Broker?" John asked.

"Yes actually. But the fight with the batarian did some damage to my ship but I managed to get it to a Mass Relay into Citadel space…at the cost of suffering some critical systems failures. That was the first blackout I've had since the doc gave me those extra organs." Jane said as John nodded.

"Life-support, navigation, engines, shields, inertial compensators…I'd say that you most certainly had some critical systems failures." John said as Jane shrugged.

"The Life-support and inertial compensators must have failed after I went through the relay." Jane replied as Ashley approached.

"Skipper the Council's going to want to speak with her about the Children of the Reapers, we should think about moving her." Ashley said as John nodded.

"Are you strong enough to walk?" John asked as Jane shrugged and sat up.

"I can try." She said as she slowly slid off the bunk and started to stand on her feet. Her knees buckled as she put weight on them and she fell forward into her brother's arms.

"Thanks." She said as Kaiden and Liara quickly moved in to help. Her legs grew stronger as they helped her stand up and she quickly found herself standing on her own accord.

"So the Citadel council wants to see me?" Jane asked.

"The Council wants to talk to you about the Reaper cult." Garrus said as Jane caught sight of him and gave the turian a suspicious glare.

"What's the turian want?" she asked.

"This is Garrus Vakarian…he's one of my former companions from two years ago, and he's a friend of mine." John said as Jane gave him a disbelieving look.

"You're friends with a turian?" She asked with a hint of venom in her voice.

"What's wrong with Garrus?" John asked with his arms crossed.

"Hello! He's a turian! As in the race that we fought in the First Contact War! Doesn't that ring any bells?!" Jane asked as John gave her a disapproving glare.

"That was then…times have changed since the First Contact War and I have no ill will or prejudice against any race…well except maybe the batarians, the geth, and the Reapers." John replied as Jane shrugged.

"Boy we're off to a great start, aren't we?" Jane mumbled sarcastically as she headed for the door, bumping shoulders with Garrus as she passed.

"I already like her." Wrex said with a mocking grin at Garrus.

"Your honesty is not refreshing Wrex." Garrus grumbled.

"Great, I have a sister who's prejudiced against turians. The council's going to love this." John grumbled.

"Relax skipper, if she acts up I can always shoot her." Ashley said as John gave her a disapproving glare.

"Part of me feels sorry for her. I believe that something traumatic has happened to her in the past because of a turian's actions or she was raised to dislike the turians by her father." Liara said as Kaiden sighed.

"I'll wager that it had something to do with Commander Vyrnnus back at Jump Zero. I mean I hated that guy too for what he did to Rahna." Kaiden said as John turned to him.

"But do you dislike all turians because of what one turian did to a close friend of yours?" Shepard asked.

"Well…okay you've got me there Captain. I don't dislike all turians…just Vyrnnus…and Saren. But both are dead now anyway." Kaiden said as Shepard pondered.

"I wonder if it was my father who made her this way. And I know just the person to ask about it." Shepard said as Ashley put a hand on his shoulder.

"Mind if I tag along?" she asked as Shepard paused for a moment, then finally smiled and nodded.

"We should probably keep an eye on her. She could get lost in a place like this." Kaiden said as Shepard nodded.

"She seems to like you two, and you both know your way around the citadel so perhaps you should go." Shepard said as he pointed to Kaiden and Liara.

"You got it Captain." Kaiden said with a salute as he and Liara headed off after her but with Wrex in tow.

"I need to get back to work. I'll be in the C-Sec office if you need me." Garrus said as he turned.

"Garrus I'm sorry about my sister's reaction towards you." Shepard said as Garrus turned back towards him.

"It's alright Shepard. I'm used to the occasional prejudiced comments about turians from both human and krogan alike. I've learned to shrug them off." Garrus said as he headed back off towards the Embassies.

"Now let's go find out where my mother's gotten to." Shepard said as he and Ashley headed out.

* * *

**Somewhere in an unknown region of space…**

A large black vessel of unknown origin, larger than any Dreadnaught, silently drifted through space. Its halls and corridors were empty and lifeless, same with its many rooms and chambers. Finally a single console powered up on its own. Other consoles across the ship followed suit shortly after that. In a large chamber near the heart of the ship, a pair of insect like eyes facing an empty command chair lit up with a haunting bright orange glow. Then with a deep, mechanical, and autonomous voice, it spoke.

"_The signal has not yet been sent…the others have not yet returned…how has this not yet come to pass?" _The ship asked no one in particular.

It then turned its attention to the extranet using a powerful communications system. It then found a two year old article from a Citadel news report about the destruction of a massive warship called Sovereign.

"_Sovereign…destroyed? By organics?" _The ship asked in confusion

"_These organics have only delayed the inevitable and unavoidable. The others will come and we will destroy them. Sovereign only started the circle…now I shall complete it and continue the cycle." _The ship said.

It probed the extranet until it found something of interest. An article on a C-Sec newsletter about rumors of a growing cult in the Terminus Systems called the "Children of the Reapers."

"_Organics repeat cycles of their own. They seek power at any means…they become corrupted…then the just or the equally corrupt destroy them and the cycle begins anew with another. They exist to be corrupted and inevitably die…these organics may prove to be an asset in facilitating the completion of the circle for the time being." _The ship said as it continued searching the extranet.

Then it came across something that made its metal frame quake with anger. It was an article, praising the man who instrumentally assisted in destroying Sovereign and preventing the return of the Reapers…John Shepard.

"_This organic…John Shepard…must be eliminated if the circle is to be completed…I require an avatar to accomplish this goal." _The ship said as it then found something of interest about Shepard.

"_This prospect shows promise…observation is needed." _The ship said as it suddenly lurched into space as if it had used a Mass Relay. It wasn't any ordinary ship with an AI…it was another Reaper.

"_I am now the vanguard of their extinction…I am now the herald of their demise…I. Am. Executor."_

* * *

**End Chapter 3**

I began wondering if Sovereign was the only Reaper still active in the Milky Way. The Reapers had to have thought of a contingency plan should their first vanguard have been destroyed or failed in their task, so I came up with Executor.


	4. Decisions & The Consort's Favor

Jane had quickly gotten lost on the Presidium. She had given up and plopped down on a bench overlooking the krogan statue. She could hear Kaiden and Liara approaching from behind her but she couldn't place the pair of heavier footsteps with them. As far as she could tell, the heavier footsteps were krogan.

"You guys don't have to follow me, or did my brother order you two to keep me out of trouble?" Jane asked. But before either Liara or Kaiden could answer, the large red crested krogan behind them spoke up.

"Yep." He said, earning a disapproving look from Kaiden and causing Liara to pinch the bridge of her nose in mild frustration.

"Are you with them, krogan?" Jane asked.

"His name's Wrex. He's with us." Kaiden said as Jane furrowed her brow.

"Wrex? As in Urdnot Wrex? The mercenary slash bounty hunter?" Jane asked as Wrex humphed.

"My reputation precedes me." Wrex said as he moved over and sat on the opposite end of the bench, facing the statue.

"I think we have a mutual friend Wrex…a former asari commando named Aleena?" Jane said as Wrex gave her an amused grin.

"Aleena? So she did survive that explosion. How do you know her?" Wrex asked.

"She's the asari commando that rescued me from that batarian who tried to re-enslave me a couple days ago. She told me to tell you hello if I ever met you…that and to see if you got her message?" Jane asked.

"Better luck next time…yep I got it." Wrex said with a laugh.

"Incredible…yours and Shepard's lives have intersected in one way or another numerous times and not once have you two met until now." Kaiden said in disbelief as he leaned against the railing facing towards her.

"Actually I ran into him during the blitz. I saw him in action but I don't think he ever saw me." Jane said as Liara pondered.

"I guess the entire Shepard family has a knack for living the strangest, if not the most colorful lives." Kaiden said as Jane shrugged.

"Ehh, it goes with the territory. So what about you handsome? What sort of life did you live other than Jump Zero?" Jane asked as she gave Alenko a sweet look.

"Well…uh…I was born and raised on Earth. My parents both worked for an orbit to ground shipping company and I got exposed to eezo before I was born. By fifteen it was the Conatix incident and after that I just went off on my own. Then I joined the Alliance military and eventually was transferred to the Normandy in time for the mission to Eden Prime two years ago. I've served faithfully with Captain Shepard since then." Kaiden explained.

"You mentioned Eden Prime. I've seen some footage of the battle there and I wonder…was that big black squid thing the Reaper ship everyone talks about?" Jane asked as the three Normandy crewmen looked at each other.

"That was Sovereign, yes." Liara explained as Jane pondered.

"Sovereign was its name huh? I read some of the files on the Children of the Reapers and their leader calls himself the Sovereign. He's some religious turian that's got a few screws loose." Jane said as she then realized something was off about Liara.

"Wait a second…what's an asari doing in an Alliance uniform?" Jane asked confused.

"I am a member of the Alliance military and I've been assigned to the Normandy." Liara explained as Jane arched a confused eyebrow.

"Care to elaborate?" she asked.

"Prior to my joining the Alliance, I was an archeologist exploring Prothean ruins and studying their technology. I was trapped in an old Prothean device behind a Prothean barrier curtain due to the geth's sudden attack. Fortunately your brother arrived and rescued me in time. Together we deciphered the clues left behind by the Protheans that explained the cause of their extinction…the Reapers. After Sovereign's destruction, I asked if I could stay on the Normandy as a permanent crew member. I was willing to go as far as to become an Alliance Military officer to achieve that goal. But Shepard gave me the honorary rank of Service Chief…Shepard made sure it was legitimate due to his Spectre status." Liara explained.

"I don't believe my brother would make bad choices for his crewmembers…well except for the turian." Jane said as Wrex silently snickered.

"Garrus is our friend and ally. Like the Captain said, times have changed since the First Contact War. Granted I've had my misgivings about Garrus as did one or two of the Normandy's crew, but over time we grew to accept him and treat him as an equal. There are only two turians that I have ever despised during my life and that's Commander Vyrnnus…and then of course Saren Arterius. Fortunately for the galaxy, both of them are dead now." Kaiden said as Jane sighed.

"You haven't dealt with the kind of turians I have. Believe it or not but there is a genetic offshoot of the turians in the Terminus Systems…strange kind too, they're a little shorter than the other turians, those little flaps near the jaws are absent, and they have these backward swept mandibles on the sides of their head." Jane said as the three looked at her surprised.

"I thought that was just some strange genetic deformity or synthetic mutilation…because Saren looked exactly like the kind of turian you described." Kaiden said as Jane shook her head.

"No that's a race of turian from the Terminus Systems. I heard they got pretty pissed when they heard Saren was branded a traitor by the Council…even more so when they heard that a human Spectre had killed him…and yet even more so when they heard that the Council had granted humanity a place on the Council." Jane said as Kaiden groaned.

"Oh great. I'll bet those Terminus turians were the warlords that got steamed when they heard Saren was killed. They're probably going to unite and come against the Citadel." Kaiden said as Jane gave an exasperated sigh.

"The future is looking rather grim indeed. But I have faith that the Citadel and the Alliance will prevail. I just wish I could be of some help to you guys out there." Jane said as Wrex looked over at her.

"You said you've done some Mercenary work before. You've also said that you have some biotic and tech abilities. So what's stopping you from using them?" Wrex asked.

"Well military training I suppose…granted I had some martial arts training when my dad and I lived on Amaterasu. But I doubt that a yellow belt in Judo counts towards anything on this epic a scale." Jane said with a shrug.

"Liara only had her biotic abilities when she first joined us. Now she can use a pistol rather effectively." Kaiden said as Jane looked partially convinced.

"We also had a quarian friend who traveled with us two years ago and excelled at using the Omni-tool. You yourself said that you know how to use an Omni-tool effectively and I believe that you could indeed be of great help to us. But the choice of joining us is a decision you must make on your own." Liara said as Jane gave a smile.

"Okay. If my brother says I can come along, I will." Jane said as she stood up.

"It'll be good to have you with us Shepard." Kaiden said with a salute.

"Well that's only if my brother agrees to it." Jane said with a smile.

"Where is Shepard anyway?" Wrex asked.

* * *

**A few minutes earlier…**

Shepard and Ashley stood outside the Embassies as they spoke to an Avina terminal.

"Avina, can you tell me where Captain Hannah Shepard is?" John asked as Avina nodded.

"Captain Hannah Shepard is currently in the Presidium. Her exact location is currently unknown." Avina reported.

"Meaning she's in transit to somewhere." John translated as Avina nodded.

"Affirmative…one moment, Captain Hannah Shepard has stopped outside of the Consort's office." Avina said as all the color from Shepard's face drained away in disbelief.

"Uh…are you sure?" Shepard asked as Avina paused.

"Confirmed. Captain Hannah Shepard is outside the Consort's office. According to previous records, she has visited the establishment at least once a month since her vessel, the SSV Kilimanjaro, was assigned to Citadel Defense." Avina said as Shepard wanted to go find a black hole to throw himself in.

"Uh thanks for the info Avina, we'll be on our way." Ashley said as she pulled the stunned Shepard off towards the Consort's office, ignoring the VI's polite farewell.

As they approached they were instantly greeted by one of Sha'ira's acolytes, but not the asari one they were used to.

"Hello, May I help you?" the human woman asked politely.

"This is Captain Shepard, the Spectre, he's a bit catatonic right now and we need some confirmation." Ashley said as the Shepard just stood there, still stunned from what Avina had just told him.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about but perhaps I can help anyway." The woman said with a smile.

"We just need to know if you have someone on the Consort's client list, a human woman by the name of Captain Hannah Shepard." Ashley said as the Human woman gave a polite sigh.

"I'm sorry but I'm afraid that we can only disclose our client list if he requests it himself since he is a Spectre. If you're asking us, then I can't help you." The woman said as Shepard returned to reality.

"Please just tell me if she's on the client list." Shepard groaned.

"One moment…" the woman said as she searched through the client roster, "…She is on our list, but it's not for the Consort's services. She comes here once a month for a back massage by Nelyna, which is why I'm filling in for her."

"Wait…you mean she's getting a massage?" Shepard asked with a relieved look.

"I thought you could only get an appointment to see the Consort." Ashley asked confused.

"It's actually a relatively new service we offer. For a little over half the price you would pay to see the Consort, you can see one of the Acolytes for a specific service…However only the Consort can provide the (Ahem) comfort that most clients come to her for." The woman said as Shepard wiped the sweat from his brow.

"(Phew), that's a relief." Shepard said, "Can I go in and see her?"

"Well, that's only if you're on our…oh you are on our client list…the Consort's client list." The woman said as Ashley gave him a glare with her arms crossed.

"Hold on, how long has my name been on the list?" Shepard asked.

"Two years, but not once have you come in. Would you like to schedule an appointment?" the woman asked as Shepard instantly replied.

"No thank you. Actually if you would take my name off the list I would appreciate it." Shepard requested as the woman gave him a polite yet disappointed look.

"Aww I'm so sorry to hear you wish to have your name taken off our client list. Maybe one day you will come back in search of our services. The Consort and her Acolytes will be here for you if you need us." The woman said as Shepard shrugged.

"If you would give Captain Shepard a message to meet me in the Embassy Lounge when she's finished I would appreciate it." Shepard said as the woman nodded.

"But of course." The woman said as she then heard her earpiece go off.

"Oh excuse me." She said as Shepard and Ashley turned to leave. Before they walked out the door, they heard the woman call after them.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you but the Consort wishes to speak with you in her chambers if it's possible." The woman said as Ashley face palmed.

"What does she want?" Shepard asked.

"She didn't say, but she sounded urgent." The woman replied as Shepard sighed and gave Ashley a helpless look.

"Oh just go skipper, I'll wait in the lounge area for you." Ashley said as Shepard sighed. Ash was definitely jealous of Shepard's having attracted the attention of the infamous asari Consort, and he knew it.

He obediently went inside towards the Consort's chamber but Ash plopped down onto one of the circular couches in the lounge area, attracting the attention of a volus client.

"I had no idea that the earth-clan females came seeking the consort's services too." The volus said through his suit's speaker system.

"I'm not here for the Consort. My…friend was called in to meet with the Consort…needless to say I'm a tad bit jealous." Ashley said as the volus cocked his head to one side in confusion.

"Curious. I thought Captain Shepard was more than just a friend Lieutenant Williams." The volus said as Ashley realized who the volus was she was talking to.

"Wait a second…Barla Von?" Ashley asked as the volus nodded.

"Yes even I, a lowly banker and information dealer for the Shadow Broker, seeks the consort's services…however I merely come here to speak with her. I find it therapeutic to speak with her on occasion." Barla Von explained as Ashley scoffed.

"Sure you do. Hardly anyone just comes here to just speak with the consort; they come here to get their jollies in. We have a word for women like that in the Alliance colonies…we call them escorts, or hookers, or prostitutes." Ashley said as Barla Von laughed.

"I never realized how entertaining an earth-clan relationship can be when the woman is jealous." Barla Von snickered.

"You obviously haven't heard of soap operas have you?" Ashley asked with a smirk.

"Curiously no. Now I have something to look into. But I'm curious…why do they call it a, 'soap opera?" Barla Von asked as Ashley froze.

"Err…"

* * *

**In the Consort's chambers…**

Shepard entered the hallway leading to the Consort's chamber, and noticed a slight change than the last time he'd been in there. There was now an additional hallway on the left hand side when facing the Consort's chamber. The hallway had six doors, three on each wall, with a single decorative table with a small basin of flowers on it at the end.

Shepard approached the Consort's office and pressed the newly installed doorbell.

"Please enter Captain Shepard." Sha'ira beckoned from inside. Shepard obediently entered but paused as at the step right before the dark blue carpet on the floor.

"Thank you for coming in Shepard. I've been meaning to speak to you." Sha'ira said with a worried expression.

"Well when the Consort asks to see you, you really don't have a choice." Shepard said with a shrug.

"I can sense your apprehension at wanting to come in so I'll be quick." Sha'ira said as she immediately opened a small box by her bed and removed a small dark metal piece of what appeared to be shrapnel. Part of it glowed with bright pulsing orange circuit patterns.

"What is it?" Shepard asked as Sha'ira gave him a worried look.

"It is a piece of the Reaper vessel, Sovereign." Sha'ira said as Shepard gave her a disbelieving look.

"You're kidding right? How did you get a hold of a piece of Sovereign's remains?" Shepard asked as Sha'ira looked worried.

"I must confess that I purchased it from the emporium after it reopened following the attack on the Citadel. Until recently it remained apparently docile but now it's been glowing. I'm not sure why." Sha'ira said as Shepard held the piece in his hand. Almost instantly he recalled the vision he got from the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" Shepard asked.

"I didn't know who to trust. Then I saw you at the front and I knew that I could trust you. Please take it. It might mean something." Sha'ira said as she handed Shepard the empty wooden box where he placed the piece inside.

"I will. But I won't say where I got it." Shepard said as Sha'ira nodded.

"Thank you Shepard. I knew I could trust you. I would gladly give you something as a gesture of thanks but I have nothing but my services to offer." Sha'ira said as Shepard shook his head.

"Thanks but I don't need anything from you. I appreciate the offer but I think Lieutenant Williams wouldn't be too fond of it." Shepard said as Sha'ira gave a laugh.

"I understand and I applaud you for your faithfulness to her. I hope you two remain together for one hundred asari lifetimes." Sha'ira said as Shepard smiled then furrowed his brow in confusion. Sha'ira predicted his next question.

"Perhaps if I said, 'for all eternity' it would help explain the length of a typical asari lifetime." Sha'ira said with a smile as Shepard nodded with a smile and headed out. As he emerged from the Consort's office he bumped into someone.

"Oh sorry I didn't…oh crap." Shepard said as he realized who the person he bumped into was.

"John Philip Shepard! Did you just come out of the Consort's office?!" Hannah Shepard asked in an angry motherly tone.

"Now hold on a minute mom, I can explain!" Shepard said as he backed away nervously.

"Be at peace Captain Shepard. I was the one who called your son in to see me. I had a personal request to make of him. There was nothing between us." Sha'ira said as she emerged from her chambers.

"There wasn't?" Hannah asked as Sha'ira shook her head.

"There wasn't Captain Shepard." Sha'ira said as Hannah breathed a relieved sigh.

"Oh thank God…Here I was, fearing the worst…err, no offence." Hannah said as the Consort smiled caringly.

"No offence taken." Sha'ira said as the two Captains headed out towards the front door.

"So what was it you wanted to see me about? Was it Jane?" Hannah asked as Shepard nodded.

"Yes and no. I wanted to ask more about my father. Mainly was he at all prejudiced against turians at all?" Shepard asked as Hannah sighed. By now Ashley had followed in step behind them as they reentered the Presidium.

"Your father never did like turians much. His father was killed during the First Contact War, which is where I can assume he gained his dislike for them." Hannah explained.

"Apparently, dear old dad's prejudice against turians has been passed on to Jane. She was a bit rude to a turian friend of mine." Shepard said as Hannah sighed.

"Give her time son. She'll come around eventually…I hope." Hannah said as they rounded the corner towards the Embassies.

"Just one more question Mother…" Shepard said as Hannah arched an interested eyebrow at him, "…why were you really at the Consort's?"

* * *

**End Chapter 4.**

Ain't I a stinker for making you wonder what Shepard's mother was doing at the Consort's?


	5. The Spectre Team

Shepard, Hannah, and Ashley arrived at the Embassies where Jane, Liara, Kaiden, Wrex, and now Garrus stood waiting. Jane was making an effort to make nice with Garrus.

"I just wanted to say…that I'm sorry for being rude to you earlier." Jane said nervously.

"Apology accepted Miss Shepard. Given what I've been told of your previous encounters with turians I can't say that your reaction was unexpected. But I admire your courage for saying the two words that every race I've encountered has saying…the words, I'm sorry." Garrus said with a turian smile.

"Thanks." Jane said as she noticed Shepard approaching.

"John I have something to ask you…wait who's this?" Jane asked as she saw Hannah standing next to him.

"Jane Hannah Shepard…meet Captain Hannah Shepard of the SSV Kilimanjaro…our mother." John said as Jane stood stunned.

"Hello Jane…It's nice to finally meet you after all these years." Hannah said nervously.

"Mother." Jane said as she nervously approached. Finally they collided into a tearful hug.

"I thought I would never get to meet you." Jane sobbed as Shepard took his team aside.

"While we let them catch up, we might have a small problem." Shepard said as he presented the box from the Consort.

"What is it?" Kaiden asked as Shepard opened the box, revealing the glowing piece of shrapnel inside.

"It's a piece of Sovereign. According to the person I got it from, it only recently started glowing like this." Shepard said as Ashley smirked.

"He got it from the Consort." Ashley said as Shepard shot her a glare.

"I promised her that where I got it remained a secret." Shepard said as Ashley clasped her hands over her mouth.

"Oops." Ashley said embarrassed.

"How did the Consort get a hold of this? All of Sovereign's wreckage was taken to a secret location for study." Garrus said as Shepard shook his head.

"I'm not telling Garrus. Needless to say, this glowing piece of metal may implicate that another Reaper is nearby…or at least active." Shepard said as Liara sighed.

"There is just no good way to look at this is there? The most plausible theory I can come up with is that it is responding to the activation of another Reaper like you said." Liara said as Garrus nodded.

"Well we need to tell the Council about this. After all, it may help us find out if there is another Reaper out there or not." Kaiden said as Shepard examined the shrapnel a little closer. He then noticed something peculiar. It had what looked like circuitry on it with a small interface plug of some sort attached to it.

"This could be something." Shepard said as Ashley looked at him curiously.

"You're pretty handy with the Omni-tool…you think you can crack it?" She asked as Shepard shrugged.

"It's worth a try." Shepard said. But before he could even activate the Omni-tool, he heard a familiar filtered female voice interrupt.

"Allow me Shepard." The voice said as everyone turned to see…

"Tali!" Shepard exclaimed with a smile as the quarian approached.

"Hello again Shepard, are you surprised to see me?" Tali asked with a grin clearly noticeable from within her helmet.

"I am actually. What brings you to the Citadel?" Shepard asked.

"I'm looking for you actually. The Admiralty board sent me to find you; the flotilla needs your help." Tali replied.

"What's wrong?" Shepard asked.

"The Admiralty board believes that you may hold the key to completely exterminating the geth. I don't know why but they think that your experience with Sovereign might give my people an edge in fighting them." Tali said as Shepard scratched his chin.

"You're people want to go back into the veil and take back your homeworld don't they?" Shepard deduced as Tali nodded.

"Yes that is the intention. With the geth's numbers severely depleted since the attack on the Citadel two years ago, the entire quarian population saw it as an opportunity to retake our homeworld. Since then over half of the total quarian population has enrolled in military training in preparation for the war to come. However the Admiralty board believes that having a Spectre assisting us will give our people reassurance to fight. They believe that if a Spectre joins in the fight, that the people will believe that the Citadel is on our side and is willing to help us." Tali explained as Shepard thought for a moment.

"I doubt that the Citadel would be willing to assist but there's no harm in trying. Especially if it means removing a potential threat should the Reapers ever come back." Shepard said as Tali nodded understandingly.

"That's what my father said. But I know what this could mean for my people Shepard…A chance to finally return home after centuries of exile. Would you deny my people that right?" Tali asked as Shepard shook his head.

"Never…but I wonder what these guys think." Shepard said as he turned towards his crew.

"Hmm…fight geth or sit around and do nothing…do you really have to ask if I want in Shepard?" Wrex asked.

"You can count on me skipper." Ash said with a salute.

"What she said, Captain." Kaiden said, also with a salute.

"I happen to be due for some overtime. I sincerely doubt C-Sec would stop functioning if I came along…and you can always say that you ordered me to join you when I'm out of overtime." Garrus said as Shepard gave a nod.

"It'll get you off the hook, that's for sure." Shepard replied.

"I am willing and eager to assist…especially if it's for a friend." Liara said with a smile.

"Looks like the flotilla has themselves a Spectre on their side." Shepard said as he turned back to Tali.

"Shepard, if it weren't for the fact I could catch a disease from the exposure, I would kiss you right now." Tali said as she hugged the Spectre.

"What's all the hubbub?" Jane asked as she and Hannah approached.

"Who are all these people son?" Hannah asked.

"I think it's time for a more formal introduction. Everyone this is my mother Captain Hannah Shepard of the SSV Kilimanjaro and my twin sister Jane Shepard." John introduced as all eyes turned towards the Shepards.

"An honor to make your acquaintance Captain Shepard." Garrus said with a nod.

"This is Garrus Vakarian, a C-Sec officer who helped us out two years ago." John explained as he turned to Kaiden.

"This is Staff Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko, our chief biotic." then turning to Liara, "This is Service Chief and Doctor Liara T'Soni, she assisted us in deciphering the Prothean beacon's vision…she's our Prothean expert." Shepard explained as he turned to Wrex.

"Urdnot Wrex. I'm just along for the fights." Wrex said before Shepard could say anything.

"He's actually the muscle in our little group." Ashley replied.

"This is Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya. A quarian who helped us out two years ago too while she was on her pilgrimage." Shepard explained as Tali gave a courteous nod.

"And this is Second Lieutenant Ashley Williams, Our toughest…human soldier." Shepard said as Ash saluted.

"Ma'am." Ash said.

"I've always wondered if I would ever get to meet all those former friends of yours from two years back. I must say that I'm impressed." Hannah said as Jane nodded.

"Indeed." Jane said with a smile as a turian in a C-Sec uniform came running up from the Tower's direction.

"Excuse me Captain Shepard!" the turian said as he skidded to a halt.

"Yes?" John and Hannah asked in unison as the turian froze.

"Uh…Spectre Shepard?" The turian asked as John raised his hand, "Ah, you're the one. The council is reconvening in the council chambers, and they request that you report there immediately. They also request that your mother and sister accompany you as well."

"We better not keep the Council waiting, let's go people!" Shepard said as they hurried to the Council tower.

* * *

**In the Council Chambers…**

After two hours of explaining Jane's past since Elysium and Hannah's testimony regarding Jane's existence, the Council turned their attention back to the "Children of the Reapers."

"I am aware of this turian sub-species. They are not exiled; in fact there are large numbers of them on our homeworld. However it is plausible that Saren had affiliates or even family members who lived out in the Terminus Systems." The turian councilman said as Councilman Anderson pondered.

"We need to know more about this cult. If the Reapers realize that Sovereign was destroyed, they may commence the invasion." Anderson said as the other councilmen nodded in agreement.

"Anderson is correct. We must look into uniting against the Reaper threat. These Children of the Reapers, might incite a war we really don't need right now. At the present time, we need allies more than we do enemies." The salarian councilman said as Shepard nodded.

"Captain Shepard, we need you to go out and find ways to unite as many races as possible. The quarians, the krogan, even the batarians. We all must stand united against the common threat of the Reapers." The asari councilwoman said.

"With permission, I would like to bring my sister along with me on my mission." Shepard said as Jane looked up at him curiously from the area behind the podium.

"Captain Shepard, I'm afraid we must refuse your request. The explanation of her time spent in the Terminus Systems is based completely on her word. We have no way of confirming her story. You could be letting a potential spy amongst your ranks." The turian councilman said as Shepard had an idea.

"Then I would like to call upon the only person who can vouch for her actions…the Shadow Broker." Shepard said as the council looked at each other in surprise.

"According to Shepard's testimony, she did use the Shadow Broker's services several times in the past. He would be the only one who could vouch for her story." Anderson said as the rest of the council nodded in agreement.

"Very well…we hereby summon Barla Von to the stand." The asari councilwoman said as the volus banker hobbled up to the stand.

"Barla Von, you tend to be present in the council chambers whenever there are meetings going on. And we are well aware of your secondary employment by the Shadow Broker. We shall assume that you are aware of the testimonies given here today?" the asari councilwoman said as the volus nodded.

"Oh yes and my employer, the Shadow Broker, has given me instructions that he can indeed vouch for Miss Shepard's whereabouts over the past nine years." Barla Von said as the council spoke amongst themselves for a moment before deciding.

"Captain Shepard, if you wish to bring your sister along with you on your quest, she will be your responsibility." The turian councilman said as Shepard nodded.

"If the galaxy is to be united against the threat of the Reapers, then we're going to need more than just a single Spectre on this mission. But we cannot easily give each and every member of your team Spectre status." The salarian said as the asari councilwoman looked upwards, towards the ceiling.

"We have one other alternative…A Spectre Team. A single team led by a single Spectre and each member with an extension of that Spectre's authority. Only once before have we called upon the need of a Spectre Team, and that was during the krogan rebellion. Now that need has arisen once again." The asari councilwoman said as Shepard found his squad mates forming up behind him.

"We hereby designate you as Spectre team Shepard. You all have an extension of Captain Shepard's authority as a Spectre. But he has the right and authority to revoke your status should he feel you deserve it. Remember that Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle, those whose actions elevate themselves above the rank and file." The asari councilwoman said as the entire gallery of onlookers watched intently.

"Go forth and unite our ailing universe. Make us strong enough to defeat the Reapers and end their continuous cycle of death and destruction." The salarian councilman said as the Gallery roared with applause and the heroes at the podium looked around in surprise.

"Well…that was unexpected." Wrex said with a curious look.

"Your standing orders are to seek out ways to unite all races together. There are other Spectres out amongst the stars and may be in need of your assistance. We shall give you the information we have about them and their last known locations." The turian councilman said as Shepard nodded.

"Well, it looks like we're on another mission to save the galaxy." Ashley said with a shrug as Garrus nodded.

"Yes, and I have no doubt that we will succeed." Garrus said as the group descended from the stairs where Hannah Shepard was embracing her two children.

"I'm so proud of you two. You're going to make the whole universe proud." Hannah said with a tearful smile.

"This is a bit much. Why would the council do this for us? Especially since I'm a total stranger." Jane asked with a confused look.

"I hate to sound ungrateful Captain but she's got a point. There's something fishy going on around here." Kaiden said as Shepard nodded.

"I agree, but to quote the old adage…I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Let's go." Shepard said as the group fell in step.

"Are you going to be around?" John asked Hannah as she shrugged.

"That depends on what you mean by, around. If you mean around the Citadel then yes, but the galaxy…I doubt that I'll even see beyond a single Mass Relay. The Kilimanjaro is assigned to protect the Citadel; the Destiny Ascendant is still undergoing repairs from two years ago. Though for a ship that size, I can't say that I'm surprised." Hannah said as Shepard nodded understandingly.

"I see. Hopefully we'll be able to unite the galaxy…and I know just the race to start with…the quarians." Shepard said as Hannah nodded.

"It would go a long way towards proving to the galaxy that the quarians have learned from their mistakes and are willing to correct them. I'll talk to Admiral Hackett; perhaps he could spare a few warships to help the quarians out." Hannah said as Shepard nodded.

"Be safe mother." Shepard said as they hugged.

"You need to be told that more than I do son." Hannah said as they parted ways.

* * *

**On the Normandy…**

Shepard approached the boarding ramp and noticed Jane waiting for him by the entrance to the ramp.

"Hey John, I just wanted to say…thanks for sticking up for me back there. Especially since you never knew I existed until today." Jane said as John shrugged.

"I could feel a definite connection between us. There's just something about you that tells me that we are related. Call it a brotherly instinct." John said as Jane smiled caringly.

"Thanks skipper." She said as they headed for the Normandy. John smirked at the title.

"Uh, just an FYI, the only person who I let call me skipper, is Lt. Williams. And that's for personal reasons." Shepard said as Jane furrowed her brow.

"Fraternization?" she asked as John just remained silent with a smirk as he hit the button that activated the disinfection beam.

"Welcome aboard the SSV Normandy. She's the first of her kind, and hopefully she won't be the last. She's a stealth ship but don't let that fool you, she's also very fast and her weapons pack quite a punch. Her shields are pretty effective too, but fortunately we've never had our shields get taken down thanks to our top notch pilot…" John said as they finally entered the Normandy, "…and speaking of pilots, may I introduce our pilot, Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau…we just call him Joker."

"Huh? Oh hey Cap'n…" Joker said casually but he then noticed Jane, "…whoa…who's the babe?"

"The name's Jane…Jane Shepard, his sister." Jane said as Joker froze.

"Aw crap…here I go getting my ass kicked by the Captain…as if pissing off his girl wasn't enough, now I piss off his sister." Joker said as John snickered.

"I'll let you off with a warning this time Joker, but watch what you say." John said as Joker tipped his ball cap.

"You got it Captain." Joker said as the Shepard twins headed off towards the galaxy map.

"Is he always like that?" Jane asked as John snickered.

"Yeah but he tends to make up for his personality short comings by being the best pilot than any other pilot in both the Alliance and Citadel fleets combined. But a word to the wise, if you want to keep him in line, threaten to break his legs now and then. He's got brittle bone disease so his legs are easy to break." John said as Jane gave him a horrified look.

"You don't actually break his legs do you?" she asked.

"Heavens no, but it is an effective motivator to use on him." John said as he took his post in front of the galaxy map. Tali was standing and talking with Navigator Pressley as she uploaded the coordinates of the Flotilla's location into the Normandy's computer.

"Tali, where's the Migrant fleet? If we're going to help them, knowing their location would be nice." Shepard said as Tali turned towards him.

"I've uploaded the coordinates in the computer Commander…err Captain. They should be on your map." Tali said as Shepard looked over the map and finally nodded at a marker that indicated an area in the Horse Head Nebula. Strangely enough, it wasn't marking any particular system, just an empty region of the system.

"Tali am I reading this right?" Shepard asked as Tali looked the map over.

"Yes, the Flotilla isn't in any particular system. This is where they said they would wait for us." Tali said as Shepard nodded.

"Okay then. Joker set a course for these coordinates. I know that it's in the middle of nowhere but just work with me." Shepard said into the comms.

"_Hey, you don't hear me complaining. Anywhere's better than just sitting in space dock." _Joker replied as they felt the Normandy's engines roar to life and the hardly noticed the ship's movement.

"_Our eta to the destination is…seven hours, provided the relays aren't crowded."_ Joker said as Shepard nodded.

"Thanks Joker…keep me posted." Shepard said as he turned back to Jane, "Would you like the grand tour?"

"Sure." Jane said as they began the tour.

* * *

**End Chapter 5.**

I wanted to bring Tali back, she's probably one of my favorite characters in the whole game. She's my favorite party member…followed by Wrex…then Liara.

Please R&R.


	6. Part of the Crew

As the Normandy raced through the stars towards the Horse Head Nebula, the crew silently went about their business. For those working under the command of a Spectre, they were prepared for anything. Practically nothing could faze them…but when Captain Shepard emerged from the elevator into the engineering deck with a strange woman next to him, they were somewhat surprised.

Wrex was amused by the crew's expressions as he watched from his usual spot against that one wall.

"This is the engineering deck. It holds our M35 Mako, as well as some of our gear. Our Requisitions officer is over there. The engineering area is just through the doors around the corner here." John explained as Jane was still in awe of the advanced vessel.

"And you say the turians helped with it?" Jane asked as John nodded.

"Yep. She's served us well for two years straight." John said as he noticed Ashley busily examining the weapons at her desk. He was about to head over to her when the Comms clicked on.

"_Captain Shepard. Admiral Hackett is contacting us, it sounds urgent."_ Joker said as John sighed.

"I'll be right there Joker!" John said into the comms as Jane gave him an understanding smile.

"Duty calls?" she asked as John shrugged.

"Afraid so. You know your way around, just don't touch anything…and here" John said as he handed her a fist full of credits, one thousand to be exact. "Get yourself a pistol, or an Omni-tool, or a biotic amp, from the Requisitions officer over there."

"Wow we've only just met and yet I'm already milking you for money." Jane said as John rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"Just don't make it a habit." John said as he pressed the button on the elevator and the door closed.

Jane stood in the middle of the room as she looked around. Ashley was still working on the weapons and looked busy. Garrus was working on the Mako still and she had no real desire to speak with the turian. The Requisitions officer was sorting through the equipment as if she was searching for something, which left Wrex standing against the wall, glaring at her.

"Need some help, Shepard?" the hulking krogan asked.

"Just kinda getting my bearings around here." Jane replied as Wrex shrugged.

"You get used to the turian design eventually." He said as Jane approached him.

"You've been around for a long time. You're probably the oldest thing on this ship…err no offence." Jane said as Wrex chuckled.

"You haven't been around krogan very long have you?" Wrex asked as Jane shook her head sheepishly.

"We krogan are proud of our age. We're not afraid of getting old; it just means we've survived more battles than most other krogan." Wrex explained as Jane shrugged.

"I guess that you've got a point there. Too bad humans don't live nearly as long as the average krogan." Jane said as Wrex looked away for a moment with a distant stare.

"If the krogan don't start focusing on breeding, then there's not even going to be any krogan, average or otherwise. We're still afflicted with the genophage and so far there's not a single finger getting lifted to change that." Wrex said as Jane thought for a moment.

"Maybe someone will develop the cure. If the Alliance is smart, then they'll create the cure." Jane said as Wrex gave her a nod.

"Whoever creates that cure, will hold the loyalty of my entire race for eternity. If our enemies create it before any of the Citadel races do, then we're in big trouble." Wrex said as Jane gave him a curious look.

"Are you willing to even kill your own Wrex?" Jane asked as Wrex glared at her.

"Anyone who fights us is either stupid or on our enemy's payroll. Killing the former is business…killing the latter is a favor to the universe…and that's anyone of any race, human, turian, krogan, quarian, it doesn't matter. They fight us, we kill them…it's that simple." Wrex said as Jane shrugged.

"You've got a point. I just hope we find a cure for your people. In fact, I'd be willing to take a crack at it if you would be willing to let me." Jane said as Wrex thought for a moment.

"Not yet. I'm just not sure that I trust you fully enough. A little more time waiting isn't going to hurt." Wrex said as Jane nodded in understanding.

"I understand Wrex. I won't pester you about it." Jane said as she backed off, "See you later Wrex."

"Shepard." Wrex said with a nod as the woman turned towards the engine room. She then felt in her pocket as she remembered the credits. She headed towards the requisitions officer. The woman noticed her approaching and quickly stood at attention.

"Welcome aboard the Normandy Miss Shepard. Corporal Elisa Millhouse, requisitions officer. If you need supplies then I'm the one to talk to." The Corporal said with a salute. She was about five nine with short blond hair that went down to where her jaw met her neck. She was in typical Alliance uniform but with her hair partially covered by the dark grayish blue ball cap with the letters "SR1" emblazoned in black on the forehead of the cap.

"My brother said that you were the one to talk to about getting some gear." Jane said as Elisa nodded.

"Yes and I was given a memo to have you fitted for a uniform just so you have something other to wear than just what you have on right now." Elisa said as she picked up a small device from the workbench behind her and aimed it at Jane. She pressed a button on it and instantly a light blue scanning beam swept over Jane a couple of times before disappearing.

"Okay, let's check the uniform bins." Elisa said as she turned towards a locker marked "Uniforms" and took a uniform, complete with ball cap, from the inside.

"This should be the right size. It's free of charge seeing as the only thing it protects is your modesty." Elisa said as Jane gave a laugh.

"An interesting way of putting it. But I also need a few other things, a pistol and an Omni-tool. I've got a good biotic amp already." Jane said as Elisa nodded and opened up a bin and pulled out a Kessler 1 along with a Blue wire tool 1.

"These are standard issue. I can't find the licenses from the previous Requisitions officer yet, he was supposed to leave them here but until then I can't get the good stuff. Oh well, at least I've got the basic stuff. That Kessler should last you a while." Elisa said as Jane shrugged.

"I don't really need the big stuff, I can manage with what I've got, comes from living on colonies for most of my life." Jane said as she holstered the pistol.

"I know the feeling. I'm from the Demeter Colony." Elisa said with a smile as she leaned back against the workbench with her hands in her pockets.

"I've been there, nice place but it's too crowded for me. I like the smaller less congested colonies." Jane said as Elisa shrugged.

"Well to each his own. I still like Demeter, it is my home after all and I wouldn't trade it for any other colony in this galaxy." Elisa said as Jane nodded.

"I don't have a home really…I'm used to traveling the galaxy so being on a ship is almost like home to me." Jane said as she turned towards the elevator.

"I'll be sure to come by later when I have more creds." Jane said as Elisa nodded.

"Sure thing." She said as she returned to rummaging through the containers in search of the licenses.

* * *

**On the bridge…**

Shepard approached the map and flipped on the comms.

"Okay Joker, patch the Admiral through." Shepard said.

"_Shepard, this is the Admiral. I know you're on a mission for the Citadel but this is something of some relative urgency and the utmost secrecy."_ Admiral Hackett said over the comms.

"What's the mission Admiral?" Shepard asked.

"_A man who we've identified as a Cerberus operative has come forward wanting to defect. He says he has information regarding some of Cerberus's recent activities."_ Admiral Hackett said as Shepard crossed his arms.

"Where is he Admiral?" Shepard asked.

"_He asked us to send someone to Elysium to meet with him. He gave us the coordinates but it's in a remote location on the surface. I fear it may be a trap."_ Hackett said as Shepard nodded in agreement.

"It may be but it's worth a shot. I'll head there as soon as I can Admiral." Shepard said.

"_There's more Shepard. He claims that it's something the Alliance can't ignore, and that it could make things more difficult for us if whatever Cerberus is working on succeeds."_ Hackett said as Shepard sighed.

"It sounds like I'm going to have to change course." Shepard said as he and Pressley exchanged frustrated glances.

"_It's your call Shepard. I can't order you to go, but it could be very important."_ Hackett replied as Shepard nodded.

"Understood sir. We'll change course for Elysium." Shepard said as he put the course adjustments in.

"_Sorry about having to make you change your plans, I'll try and make it up to you. Fifth fleet out."_ Hackett said as the communication cut out.

"I better go Tali the news. I don't think she's going to be happy." Shepard said as he headed for the stairs.

"She might take it better than you think Captain. This isn't the first time she's flown with you." Pressley said as Shepard shrugged.

"Yeah but this is her people we've just veered away from. She may not take it so gracefully." Shepard said as Pressley returned to her console.

"Just don't ask her what five plus one is and you'll be fine." Pressley said as Shepard paused.

"I don't find that joke funny Pressley." Shepard said over his shoulder. (See A/N at the bottom)

"I'm sorry sir. It won't happen again." Pressley said as Shepard headed down the stairs.

* * *

**On the second deck…**

Jane emerged from the elevator as John emerged from the port side stairwell.

"Hey, where you heading?" Jane asked as John entered the elevator.

"To get my bum kicked by a quarian mechanist." John said casually as he hit the down button.

"Have fun." Jane said casually as the elevator doors closed. She turned and saw the mess table. On cue her stomach growled. She'd been hungry for a while, and since she had a second heart, she had a faster metabolism and needed more to eat.

She looked around but didn't see any sort of food dispenser. She scratched her head as she continued looking around, not noticing that her actions were being watched by a confused Kaiden Alenko from his post next to the sleeper pods. Finally he caved; he had to know what she was doing.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he approached.

"Where is the food around here?" she asked as she turned to him. He casually sat down and a holographic menu appeared in front of him the second he hit the chair.

"Oh." Jane said sheepishly as she sat down across from him. Sure enough, the menu appeared before her.

"It happens a lot with those who haven't been on either a turian ship or the Normandy before." Kaiden said as he canceled out of the menu, not ordering anything.

"I guess that means it's a turian innovation?" she asked as she continued looking through the menu.

"It's rather effective really." Kaiden said as Jane selected a dish of lasagna, instantly a blue beam from overhead hit the table in an oval shape and almost instantly a moderately sized dish full of lasagna materialized in front of her with a knife and fork on either side with a napkin under the fork.

"Sweet." Jane said as she dug in.

"I'll leave you to your dinner." Kaiden said as he smiled and returned to his post.

As she continued eating, she heard the door to the med lab open and shut and Liara entered the mess area.

"Oh, Miss Shepard! I was not aware that you were in here." Liara said with a smile as she sat down across from her.

"(Swallows) it's no big deal, I was just hungry. Two hearts you know." Jane said with a shrug.

"I am aware. But I am curious. Why did you let Doctor Qulian perform such a horrific experiment on you?" Liara asked as Jane shrugged.

"Well when the guy has bought you from a slave market in a lawless region of space, with a slave collar around your neck, you kinda tend to do what he asks." Jane replied as Liara ordered a glass of water which materialized shortly afterwards.

"I see." Liara said as she mulled over Jane's previous slave life.

"It wasn't that bad with Doc Qulian. He was curious about humanity; all of his slaves were humans but he treated us very well for slaves. He only would buy a slave if there was some genetic uniqueness to them that made him curious. In my case it was my biotic abilities with my L2 implants. He also developed a unique biotic amp that conformed to each of our unique biotic properties…though he did that more out of protection since most of us were biotics and without the amps, we could hardly make a feather move…much less a living being." Jane explained.

"Do you still have this biotic amp?" Liara asked as Jane removed a small device from the implant port behind her left ear.

"This is it. It's been specially modified to function only with my implants. And without it, I can't move squat with my powers." Jane said as she quickly plugged the amp back into the port.

"Hmm…this biotic amp was built specially for you? It dramatically enhanced your powers and yet your former master allowed you to wear it without any protection of his own?" Liara asked as Jane leaned back.

"Well, he didn't exactly have any sort of defense. He included a failsafe device in these that a simple press of a button on his slave remote could cause our amps to short out and explode…which would cause severe damage to our brains through the implants and quite possibly kill us. But when he died, a dead man switch he had on him caused the failsafe devices to deactivate permanently. He did this so that if he was killed, we would be free. He just didn't want to die by our hands." Jane explained as Liara sipped her water.

"You have led an interesting life Shepard. I think that I would like to know more about you…that's if you would be willing to indulge me in a few questions." Liara said as Jane shrugged with a half-smile.

"Sure, what have I got to lose?" Jane asked as Liara started her questioning, as Kaiden overheard with a hint of jealousy circling in his heart.

* * *

**In the engineering section…**

Shepard entered the engine room where Tali was busy working at her usual terminal with Engineer Adams watching from nearby.

"Tali…" Shepard said as the quarian turned and saw him approach.

"Captain. What can I do for you?" Tali asked as Shepard sighed.

"We've had to divert course away from the Flotilla. We've gotten a priority assignment from Fifth Fleet intelligence and it may be a while before we can get to the Flotilla." Shepard said as Tali shrugged.

"And?" Tali asked expecting more.

"Well that's it. I thought you would be upset that we temporarily passed up on your people to pursue a different mission at the moment." Shepard said as Tali shook her head.

"Actually the more time my people get to train for the battle ahead, the better. My people understand that a Spectre's duties are countless, and that they can't expect you to just drop everything and help us out at a whim. We had a Spectre once you know. During the Krogan rebellion, the council selected a quarian soldier to help fight the krogan during the krogan rebellions…he died defending the turian task force that detonated the vapor bomb that infected the krogan with the genophage." Tali explained.

"I never knew that." Shepard said as Tali shrugged.

"It's not what humans call, a big deal…oh and one other thing. My name isn't Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya anymore, now it's Tali'Zorah Vas Manchester." Tali said as Shepard gave her an amused yet disbelieving look.

"You joined the crew of one of the human vessels that brought your people food and supplies?" Shepard asked with an amused look.

"Well…the ships were given as a gift too you know…but yes I did." Tali said with an amused expression visible on what could be seen inside her mask.

"Remind me to apologize to your father for that." Shepard said as Tali laughed.

"Don't worry about it Shepard. My father is good natured and probably more human than quarian when it comes to personality. But in times of urgency, he is…well he's a lot like you." Tali said as Shepard blushed slightly.

"I'm honored." Shepard said as Joker's voice rang over the comms.

"_Heads up Captain, we're approaching the Relay for Elysium."_ Joker said.

"Thanks Joker, I'm on my way." Shepard said as Tali gave an understanding nod and turned back to the console, leaving Shepard to head for the elevator.

* * *

**End Chapter 6**

I always wondered where the food was on the Normandy so I just came up with the thing with the table.

Also to explain the "Just don't ask her what five plus one is" part. I got that idea from reading the one shot, "Why are humans smarter than quarians," by Wraithfighter. I recommend the fic to all Mass Effect fans.


	7. Elysium

Shepard was standing on the bridge examining a map that Fifth Fleet had transmitted, using the most secure channels they could find, as Jane approached from the stairs.

"I hear that we're heading for Elysium." Jane said as John gave a nod from over his shoulder, "How long are we going to be there?"

"Until we find what we're looking for." Shepard said as Jane arched an eyebrow and peeked over his shoulder.

"Wait a minute…" she said as she noticed the point indicated as the meeting place, "…that's the basin. It's a dried up pond."

"What's so special about it?" Shepard asked curiously as he remembered that Jane had the home field advantage there.

"Well Dad would go there periodically before the blitz. He claimed that it helped him think." Jane said as John gave her a curious look.

"You think there was more to his going out there than just thinking?" John asked as Jane nodded.

"Definitely. The basin is just a five minute walk from our house, and he would be gone for hours, even days at a time. He claimed he had found something there and was going to show it to me but the blitz started before he had the chance." Jane said as Shepard thought for a moment.

"Well we'll soon find out what's down there, because you're coming with me on the Mako drop…You, Kaiden, and…Wrex." John said as Jane blinked.

"Uh, don't I need armor for this?" Jane asked as Shepard nodded.

"I've always got a pair of Onyx one armor stored away in my locker for just a situation like this. You can borrow it until we find some more effective armor for you." John said as Jane shrugged.

"Okay, but I feel like I'm going to be more of a liability than an asset." Jane said as Shepard shrugged.

"You'll get a chance to show off your tech and biotic skills. Besides I noticed you bought a pistol from the R.O. so you shouldn't need anything more than that and the armor." John said as Jane sighed.

"Okay…it's your call." Jane said as she headed for the stairs.

"You want to do a Mako drop? Wouldn't you rather just dock at one of Elysium's ports?" Pressley asked as Shepard glared at him.

"And have the hero of the Skyllian Blitz be followed by throngs of adoring fans…as well as possibly compromising our mission? I think not." Shepard asked as Pressley nodded in understanding.

"I see your point Captain. Perhaps the Mako drop is preferable." Pressley said as John headed off to suit up.

* * *

**Later…**

The Normandy, with stealth fields engaged, flew in low and released the Mako where it touched down safely to the surface.

"Okay, let's find this guy." Kaiden said as Jane got a good look out the forward window.

"Holy Toledo! I know exactly where we are!" Jane exclaimed through the helmet on her Onyx 1 armor.

"Where?" John asked as she brought up a hologram of the map and marked a place with a nav beacon.

"We're near my old house. Dad and I lived on the outskirts of the colony. It's only a few clicks from here." Jane said as John shrugged.

"We'll stop by when we're done here. But for now we have a mission to finish first." John said as he hit the gas and the Mako raced off towards where the basin was. They continued on until they reached a large forest.

"This is as far as we can go on wheels. The rest of the way has to be on foot." Jane said as John flipped a switch, causing the doors on the side to open up and the four disembarked.

"Which way sis?" John asked as Jane motioned to follow her into the forest.

As they walked, Kaiden stuck close to Jane while John and Wrex followed a short distance behind.

"So." Kaiden said after a moment of silence, "What was it like living here?"

"Not bad really. I worked for dad at his clinic in town on the weekdays and I got to know a lot of people here. I don't know what happened to most of them after the blitz though." Jane said with a sad expression.

"It happens when the batarians attack and enslave people. Two years ago, when we were hunting down Saren, Shepard helped to prevent an asteroid from hitting the colony of Terra Nova." Kaiden said as Jane furrowed her brow.

"Forgive me but what does that have to do with batarians?" she asked.

"The asteroid had a research station there, the intention with it was for them to mine the asteroid out and use it as an orbital space station. But as they were literally flying it towards the colony, a group of batarian slavers attacked. However, what was initially going to be a quick slave run took a turn for the worst and became a plot to commit mass murder. The leader of the batarian forces decided to ram the asteroid into the planet where it would kill millions. Fortunately Shepard managed to avert disaster…despite the fact that the batarian commander escaped and hasn't been found since." Kaiden explained as Jane smirked.

"That's my brother alright." Jane said as they approached an incline.

"Phew, I wish I could scale cliffs like the Mako." John said as they climbed up the incline.

"Ah quit your whining. Dad and I would take this walk every so often and we didn't complain…well at least, not about the walk." Jane said as John grumbled and Wrex chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Shepard asked the krogan.

"You, a Spectre, are getting beaten by your sister at climbing a small hill. That Mako has spoiled you." Wrex said as John grumbled something indignant regarding the krogan battlemaster.

Finally they reached the top of the hill, before them sat what looked like a fair sized crater with smooth round rocks lining the bottom.

"This is it fellas. The basin. Every summer the pond dries up and leaves only rocks behind." Jane said as they looked around the area but saw no one else there.

"Where is this guy we were supposed to meet?" Kaiden asked as John shrugged.

"Maybe he's hiding somewhere." John said as Wrex sniffed the air.

"Oh he's here…or at least his body is." Wrex said as he walked down into the basin towards the rock pile.

"Oh please tell me that he's not going to find what I think he's going to find." Kaiden mumbled as Wrex knocked a rock away, revealing a single human hand sticking out from underneath the pile of rocks.

"Well…so much for our defector." Jane said as Wrex continued uncovering the body until the corpse of a man in a tattered and dust covered lab coat was revealed underneath. He had several scorch marks and bullet holes in his chest.

"Lord, have mercy." John muttered under his breath.

"Let me guess…no atheists in foxholes?" Jane asked as John gave a smile and a nod before closing the dead man's eyes.

"Hey, there's something odd about this guy." Kaiden said as he looked closer at the body. The man's head was turned facing one direction and one of his hands looked like it was pointing at something.

"You're right, he's pointing at something." John said as they started looking around in the direction he was pointing. There was nothing but a large rock wall at the base of a cliff in that direction. They continued looking around until Jane stumbled.

"WHOA!!!" she yelped as she fell over.

"You okay?" Kaiden asked as he hurried over to her. He then froze in disbelief as he saw a sight he never expected. Jane's body from the waist up looked like it led into the rock wall…part of the wall was a hologram, disguising the entrance to a cave.

"I think we've stumbled onto something Shepard." Kaiden said as Jane picked herself up on the inside of the cave.

"Literally." Wrex added as the hologram deactivated.

"You guys need to see this." Jane said as she led them around a corner, revealing a fully functional lab set up inside.

"Where are we? The guy's secret lab?" Kaiden asked as Jane shook her head as she looked at a framed photo on the desk with a smile on her face.

"Not the man out there. It wasn't his lab…it was my father's." Jane said as all three of them looked around in disbelief.

"You're kidding right? Our father had a secret lab?" John asked as Jane showed him the photo. It was a photo of a slightly younger looking Jane with an older man with graying hair and wearing a lab coat. On the lab coat was a single name stitched into the right breast pocket…"Shepard."

"So it is his lab. But what was he doing here?" John asked as Jane sat down at the computer console.

"Give me a minute to download his files and we can find out." Jane said as she plugged in an OSD but the computer required a password.

"Oh like this password is so hard for me?" Jane said under her breath as she typed in the password and the words _"Access granted,"_ appeared on the screen. Then a list of files appeared.

"Beginning transfer." Jane said as she started transferring the files to the OSD.

"What's this I wonder?" Wrex asked as he looked at a monitor that showed a looping video of a number of unidentified cells breaking apart and disintegrating.

"I'm not sure. Dad was very quiet about any research he performed. It could be anything but I probably could identify it given enough time." Jane said as John nodded.

"You were his assistant, you're the most qualified to do decrypt his data with any degree of understanding. You can use the lab on the Normandy to check into it." John said as Jane nodded.

"Thanks bro." Jane said as the computer beeped with a message on the screen.

"_Download complete." _The message read as Jane removed the OSD and turned to the empty lab desk.

"Is there anything you want to bring from here besides the OSD?" John asked as Jane thought and noticed a drawer with a small red sticker on the handle. She instinctively headed over, opened it up, removed the contents, and finally placed them in a duffle bag hanging on a metal spike driven into the wall.

"Dad would put everything that he considered to be important in a specially marked drawer or container…That drawer in this case." Jane said as she put the framed photo of her and her father inside before she threw the duffle bag over her shoulder.

"Is that it?" John asked as Jane nodded, "Right let's head out and back to the Mako."

As they exited the cave, they immediately found themselves surrounded by at least ten armored soldiers with assault rifles or shotguns.

"I'd say we've got company." Kaiden said as he and Jane prepped their biotic powers, John drew his pistol, and Wrex raised his assault rifle.

"Well-well-well, if it isn't the hero of the Skyllian Blitz. What brings you out here I wonder?" A menacing looking human man said with a hideous scar across his face.

"Are you the one in charge here?" John asked as the man crossed his arms.

"I am unimportaint but I work for Cerberus and the items in that bag there are our private property." The man said as Jane clutched the bag even tighter.

"Cerberus is a rogue group. They killed an Alliance Fleet Admiral and have murdered an untold number of innocent lives. You have no authority here." John said as the agent sighed in mild frustration.

"You think that I am unaware of this? My patience is wearing thin, hand over the bag and we'll spare your pathetic lives." the agent said as John quickly looked over his opponents.

"Better idea." John said as he took a step back with his gun still raised, "You can have this with my complements."

Instantly John tossed something to the agent who caught it in his hand. The agent gave John a glare before looking at the object and turning white as a sheet. John quickly pressed a button on his wrist, and the object exploded, killing the agent and a few of the soldiers…it was an incendiary grenade.

Instantly he threw another grenade up at the rock ledge above them and detonated it, sending a shower of large rocks down onto the disoriented soldiers.

"RUN!!!" John shouted as the four heroes ran for the Mako, leaving the three surviving soldiers running away in fear. They paused for a moment to see the Lab implode in a cloud of dust before turning and continuing down the hill before finally reaching the Mako.

"Joker! Get down here now!" John shouted as the Mako raced off along the edge of the forest.

"_On the way Captain!" _Joker said over the comms.

"I guess we're not going to my place huh?" Jane asked as John nodded.

"We are actually, I told Joker to pick us up there." John said as Jane sat back, surprised.

"Then let's just hope those Mercs don't follow us." Kaiden said as John shook his head.

"If they do, they're going to get a big surprise." John said.

"What kind of surprise Shepard?" Wrex asked as they rounded the corner and saw the Normandy touching down outside a moderately sized civilian structure.

"Oh that kind of surprise." Wrex said as the Mako rolled up near the base of the Normandy's ramp. Ashley, Liara, Garrus, and Tali were disembarking with a squad of marines behind them as the four approached.

"Success?" Ashley asked as John shook his head.

"We were too late; the defector was killed before we got there. But we did find something interesting, mine and Jane's father's research in a secret lab hidden in a cliff wall." John explained as Jane handed the bag off to Dr. Chakwas who carried it to the elevator and back to the lab.

"Why do I suddenly hear mad scientist music playing in the background?" Ashley asked then shrugged she realized no one was paying attention to her.

Jane approached the structure as she removed her helmet.

"This was my home." She said as she saw the overgrown building. Windows were busted, the door was bashed in and there were obvious signs that there had been people inside since after the blitz.

"I'm sorry Shepard." Liara said as she approached and placed a hand on Jane's shoulder.

"Thanks…" Jane said softly, the memories of her life in the house were flooding her mind as she mourned her father and the life she left behind at the Blitz. "…I just need a minute alone with my thoughts."

Jane headed inside the ruined house, unaware that John had noticed and was slowly following in after her. She slowly walked through the darkened hallway that led to her old room; the door was off its hinges and she went inside cautiously. She saw her bed torn to shreds; her old clothes ripped and tattered from years of exposure to the elements that got in through the window. Many of her possessions were either lost or damaged, including her old Omni-tool, most likely taken by scavengers.

She then heard broken glass shards cracking on the floor behind her; she turned to see John standing there with his helmet off and a concerned expression on his face. Finally the emotions got too much for her and she crashed into John, tears flowing as he held onto her quaking form.

Liara and Kaiden watched through the window outside with concerned expressions.

"Okay. The Mako's been loaded up and there's no sign of anymore Cerberus mercs, so we're…" Ashley said as her voice trailed off and she followed the two's gaze towards the window.

"Is there anything here you want to try and recover?" John asked as Jane shook her head.

"No…there's nothing left for me now. Dad's lab is gone and destroyed and with the house in utter ruins here…I have nothing except for what I have right now." Jane said as John put his arm around her.

"Then let's keep Dad's memory alive, and let's find out what he discovered in that lab of his. He probably put the data on his computer and you downloaded his files so we should have everything." John said as Jane nodded silently and the two headed for the door.

As they exited the structure and headed for the Normandy, Jane looked around at the Normandy crew and the Spectre team. Her one biological family member, besides her mother, had his arm around her. His friends were more than friends to him…to Captain John Shepard, they were family…and now they were her family too…even if one of them was a turian.

They boarded the Normandy with the rest of the crew behind them. John pressed the comlink button to Joker.

"Okay Joker…take us up." John said as the front doors slowly started closing, and the whine of the engines grew louder. Jane watched solemnly as her old house vanished behind the doors.

"Are you going to be okay Miss Shepard?" Garrus asked as Jane turned towards the turian with a partially surprised look. She then silently nodded.

"I will…eventually." She said as she headed for the elevator where Liara and Kaiden waited.

"If you would like some assistance with deciphering your father's work, I would be more than willing to assist Shepard." Liara said as Jane smiled at her with a nod.

"I'd appreciate it Liara…but perhaps later, I still could use some time alone for now." Jane said as the elevator doors closed.

* * *

**End Chapter 7.**

The "Discovery" that Dr. Shepard made will come back to play later on in the story.

I recently downloaded "Bring Down The Sky" and beat it, so I had to add the Asteroid X57 incident in there…and that will come back to play later on in the story too.


	8. Mad Science & Feros part 1

It was a seven hour trip to the quarian flotilla's rendezvous point and it had been three hours already so a few crewmembers were blowing off steam by playing a few rounds of poker in the mess hall…this included Ashley, Wrex, Dr. Chakwas (surprisingly), Cpl. Millhouse, and Engineer Adams.

"Call." Ashley said as she glared knowingly at Wrex who scowled and threw down his cards with an annoyed grumble. He had nothing. Ashley threw down her cards, a two pair of jacks and tens, and instantly scooped the pot of assorted candy bars, potato chips, ammo, weapon upgrades, and armor upgrades, into her pile.

"Third hand today." Dr. Chakwas said with her usual calm demeanor, "I can only wonder if you count cards lieutenant."

"Sorry Doc. It's an ancient Chinese secret." Ashley said as Chakwas, Adams, and Millhouse glared at her.

"You're not Chinese, Williams." Adams said disdainfully.

"True but I once lived on a Chinese named colony." Ashley said cheekily as Dr. Chakwas arched a curious eyebrow.

"Amaterasu is named for an ancient Japanese deity…not Chinese Lieutenant." Dr. Chakwas said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Well I…damn it." Ashley grumbled as they heard the door to the med lab open and Jane emerge frantically and sit down in a chair. She instantly ordered a large plate of food and started gulping it down. The poker players at the table gave her a look as if saying "WTF?!"

After a few (Disgusting) moments of watching the carnage unfold, Jane finally noticed that she wasn't alone.

"Oh… (Gulp) hi." Jane said sheepishly.

The whole table except for Wrex quickly gave some excuse to leave (E.G: The ship is gonna blow (Adams) My stock is low (Millhouse) I have reports to file (Chakwas) That's sick (Ashley) and quickly headed for the exits, leaving an amused Wrex and a humiliated Jane Shepard behind…along with the poker winnings which Wrex quickly and stealthily scooped to his side of the table.

"Oh nice job Jane. You run one low blood sugar and you scare half the crew with your eating habits." Jane grumbled.

"It reminded me of how pregnant krogan women eat." Wrex said as Jane froze with a disgusted look on her face.

"Wrex…not helping." Jane replied as John entered from his quarters with a datapad in his hand.

"Ah, Jane, how goes the research?" Shepard asked as Jane sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Long. Dad's notes do not refer to anything specific, parts of it are encrypted, parts use strange alien symbols, and some parts are complete gibberish. It's strange because dad never kept things secret…unless…" Jane said as she drifted away into thought.

"Unless?" Shepard asked expectantly.

"Unless he was doing some form of illegal research. I know that he had several nonhuman contacts, contacts like salarians, asari, volus, hanar, even elcor. Perhaps he was working with some alien research group, but what he was researching is a complete mystery to me." Jane replied as John thought for a moment.

"Hasn't Liara been able to help?" John asked as Jane nodded.

"Liara has been as much of a help as she can be. It's not as if she hasn't been eager to help it's just that…there's about three years of research to dig through and like I said before, parts of it are coded or encrypted." Jane replied as Kaiden, who had overheard the conversation, approached.

"Captain, pardon my eavesdropping but, perhaps ordering a background check on your father would be a good way of finding out who he was working with." Kaiden suggested as John nodded.

"It's worth a shot. Good idea Kaiden." John said as Kaiden smiled.

"Glad to be of help sir." Kaiden said as he saluted and returned to his post.

"May I make a suggestion?" Jane asked as John shrugged, "In dad's and mine experience, official channels take too long and the accuracy of the information is iffy at best. I suggest contacting the Shadow Broker for the information."

"I somehow doubt that he would be real eager to help me. The Shadow Broker was not too pleased that I didn't give him some information two years ago." John said as Jane rolled her eyes.

"He may not do it for you…but he may do it for me in exchange for something different." Jane said as John shrugged.

"Okay fine. Do you know how to contact him?" John asked as Jane scratched her head.

"The contacts I knew were all back on Elysium and I don't know what happened to them after the Blitz. I don't suppose that you know someone?" Jane asked as John thought for a moment.

"As a matter a fact I do. A volus banker in the Presidium on the Citadel named Barla Von. He's been helpful in the past, he was the volus who vouched for you at the council meeting, and given your history with the Shadow Broker I would say he would be more willing to help you than me." John said as Jane finished the last of her food.

"I suppose it can wait until we reach the Citadel then." Jane said as she headed back to the lab with John in tow.

As they entered the lab portion, they found Liara looking over the data.

"Shepard." Liara greeted as she heard the door open, "I haven't made any progress, not even Dr. Chakwas can identify some of the data."

"I have no idea where dad got his expertise in codes and encryption. It's very strange." Jane said as John sat down at the desk where Liara had been sitting as he looked over the data. He looked at some of the strange wording and symbols, and then he looked at a section that looked like gibberish.

"Hang on a minute…" he said as he read the gibberish with a confused look, "…this writing here…I recognize it. It's not gibberish it's Prothean!"

"What?!" Jane and Liara asked confused.

"This stuff here that looks like jumbled words…it's actually spoken Prothean, just typed out in English." John said as Liara looked at the words more carefully.

"I thought you were the Prothean expert." Jane said to the asari scientist.

"I am an expert on Protheans but not even some of the greatest researchers on the Protheans have ever heard the Prothean language spoken before. I'll wager that Shepard knows it has something to do with his encounters with the beacons on Eden Prime and Virmire, along with his possessing the cipher so he could understand the Prothean vision from those beacons." Liara explained as Jane gave her a confused look then gave John a similar look.

"It's a long story Sis…" John said as he leaned back, "…there's only two other people that I know of who could help with this…one of them is dead and the other is on Feros."

"Are you referring to the former asari commando, Shiala?" Liara asked as John nodded.

"Once we're done helping the quarians in dealing with the geth, then we'll head to Feros and see if we can't get Shiala to give us a hand with deciphering the information. I just have too many, more pressing concerns to deal with at the moment. Otherwise I would gladly help out." John said as he stood up from the desk.

"The quarians are going to want to fight the geth, and the Normandy as well as her crew and Captain needs to be ready to fight." Liara said as Jane crossed her arms with a worried expression.

"I've never faced geth before…Hell I haven't even seen one before." Jane said as Liara realized something.

"Wait. Shepard, isn't Feros in the Attican Beta cluster?" Liara asked as John realized that they were still in transit through said cluster. Without missing a beat, he charged up to the Normandy's bridge, just as the Mass Relay to the Voyager Cluster came into view.

"JOKER! ALL STOP!!!" John shouted as Joker put the Normandy into a full one eighty turn away from the Relay.

"What's the problem Cap'n?" Joker asked confused.

"Set a course for Feros, the Zhu's Hope colony, we're making a pit stop." John said as Joker shrugged with a nod.

"You got it. Cap'n." Joker replied as he turned the Normandy towards Feros.

"Do you think that Shiala will be willing to help us?" Liara asked as she approached from behind with Jane and Kaiden behind her.

"Perhaps. We did free her from the Thorian two years ago, and she was very grateful then. It might be easier to convince her to accompany us." John said as Kaiden scratched his head.

"I thought we left her behind to help the colonists at Zhu's Hope?" Kaiden asked.

"We did, but the latest reports show that the colony has been on the brink of being shut down and the colonists shipped to other, safer colonies. She may have nowhere else to go anyway." John said as Joker scoffed.

"Yep, ever since the colonists blew the whistle on ExoGeni Corp, the company has been on a downward spiral, and they just recently declared bankruptcy." Joker said as the four turned to him surprised.

"What? I read the news. It gives me something to do to pass the time when we're docked…that and so I don't go insane from boredom." Joker replied.

"I can understand that. Being stuck in that chair all the time has to drive you nuts." Shepard said as Joker shrugged.

"Nah. As long as I've got things to do, I'm happy." Joker said as John nodded.

"Okay then but if we can get you anything, feel free to ask us." John said as Joker smirked.

"How about a bedpan?" He asked as the four gave a disgusted groan and walked away.

A few minutes later, the Normandy streaked towards Feros where a small handful of ships waited in orbit.

"Looks like they're waiting for something." Joker said as John and Jane looked out the starboard view port at the ships.

"Yeah but for what?" John asked as they flew past them and into the atmosphere.

"They look like Alliance Stock freighters…but there's something a bit off about them…as if I've seen them before somewhere." Jane said as John shrugged.

"I guess the colonists are pulling out, seeing as how ExoGeni Corp went belly up." Ashley said as she prepped her rifle.

"Possibly, but I can't shake this gut feeling that I've got that something's wrong." Jane said as John sighed.

"I've got that same feeling sis. It may be wise to go prepared." John said as he patted his pistol at his side.

"I'll get my gun." Jane said as she headed for the stairs.

"I'm not so sure that it would be a good idea to take her along Skipper." Ashley said as John shook his head.

"Jane's used to the Colony lifestyle. Feros would be just another colony to her but she could still help out the people there." John said as Garrus nodded.

"Captain Shepard is right. She knows how colonists think and if anything, that could prove to our advantage." Garrus said as Liara gave him an approving nod.

"It pleases me to see that even though she distrusts you as a turian, you can put your trust in her." Liara said as Garrus nodded.

"There's no reason for me not to trust her. Besides like I said earlier, I'm used to the occasional human distrust of turians, it's just like seeing a keeper in the citadel…they're everywhere." Garrus said as John turned to the group.

"I'm looking for volunteers for this mission." John said as everyone present, except for Joker, raised their hand.

"Okay then…you're all going." Shepard said as they all shrugged and headed for the garage to suit up.

* * *

**Inside the abandoned ExoGeni building…**

"Damn, the geth really did a number on this place." An armored human soldier said as he aimed his Omni-tool's flashlight around the crumbling room. It was part of the entry hall outside the Prothean skyway.

"You're telling me." A salarian in armor said as he followed close behind.

"Too bad we're going to be leaving soon. I was getting kinda fond of this place." An armored human woman said with a shrug.

"So was I…either that or it's that damned Thorian at work again." Another human man in armor said as he shone his Omni-tool's light around.

"Ugh, I'll thank you not to remind us of that incident." The salarian grumbled.

"Relax Ledra. That little shop of horrors is closed." the second human man replied.

"I am so glad I wasn't here for that." The woman said with a shrug.

"Yeah. Hey, why did ExoGeni send you here?" the first man asked.

"They want me to recover the VI. It is the property of ExoGeni corp. as is any information it holds." The woman replied like a drone.

"You really have the corporate rhetoric down pact Ray." The second man said with a snicker.

"Thanks." The woman said with a giggle.

"I am still confused by your nickname. I thought that Ray was used by male humans with the name Raymond." Ledra said as the woman smiled.

"I'm not a guy if that's what you're thinking. Ray was the nickname I got from…" Ray said as her voice trailed off and she turned away from Ledra.

"From?" the second man asked.

"It's personal. I would rather not talk about it." Ray said as they continued on.

"Where is the VI's blasted core?" the first man asked as Ray shrugged.

"Beats the heck out of me. None of the former ExoGeni employees dare come back here." Ray said as the second man drew a pistol and motioned to halt.

"Quiet, I think I heard something." He said as Ledra drew a pistol, the first man drew an assault rifle, and Ray started to glow with biotic power.

"What is it?" Ledra asked nervously as he aimed his Omni-tool around with his pistol aimed cautiously next to it.

"Probably nothing…a lone Varren perhaps." The second man said as they lowered their weapons.

"Don't scare us like that." Ray said as she rubbed her forehead with her gloved hand.

"Are you okay?" Ledra asked out of concern for the woman.

"I'm fine. I get these occasional migraines and the rare blackouts, comes from having antiquated biotic implants." Ray said as the first man noticed something on the ground nearby. He slowly moved closer to investigate. What he saw was a slick and glossy black object, as if it were a piece of slime covered flesh. It was a Varren…a dead Varren.

"What the?" the man asked quietly as he looked the body over. Suddenly, quick as a flash, something swooped down and yanked him into the air, dropping his assault rifle and helmet as he screamed, mid-ascent, into the rafters above.

"JEFF!!!" the second man shouted as they stood together with their backs to each other.

"What was that?!" Ray asked nervously. Suddenly they felt a relief of pressure behind them, and saw Ledra had vanished, and his Omni-tool was all that remained.

"Oh man! What's going on?!" Ray asked with pure fear in her voice.

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting OUT OF HERE!!!" the second man shouted as he ran frantically towards where they had parked their Mako. But just as his shadowy silhouette approached the lit gap outside the building, Ray saw something grab him and knock him out.

"D.J!!!" Ray shouted in fear as she shielded herself from whatever may be coming for her.

Suddenly she saw a slim and armored humanoid emerge from the shadows with a pistol raised. She knew it wasn't either of her companions.

Ray panicked as she started backing up. She then stumbled over a rock and fell to the floor on her back. The figure was still approaching with its weapon raised.

"GET BACK!!!" Ray shouted as she used biotic throw on the figure that flew backwards and through a weakened column where it got buried alive under a pile of collapsing rubble.

"That'll get y-y-you…Uhh." Ray moaned as she fainted from the strain of using her biotic powers. Shortly after she fainted, two pairs of armored boots approached.

"This one is a biotic. She might be too dangerous for our clients to control." A gruff voice said.

"Biotics always fetch a good price at the markets. We'll take her too; along with the others. In fact she'll be the first to be packed up. There's no telling how long that blackout will last so we better hurry." Another voice said as Ray cracked a dreary eye open to see two reptilian heads, each with four eyes, staring down at her.

They were batarian slavers.

"Look she's awake!" the one on the left said as the one on the right glared at her.

"Not for long." The right one said as he reared back his fist and delivered a painful blow to the head, knocking her out cold.

* * *

**End Chapter 8.**

Who is this mysterious woman named Ray? What will happen to her? Will our heroes find Shiala? Find out in the next chapter.


	9. Feros part 2

The Normandy hovered into the docking structure where the clamps lowered into place on the vessel's hull. Shortly after that, a fully armored shore party disembarked from the Normandy where an armed man approached them.

"Welcome to Feros. If you're here as colonists then you might as well get back on your ship and leave, the colony is currently in the disassembly stage." The officer said as John nodded understandingly.

"Captain John Shepard, SSV Normandy. I'm here looking for someone in particular actually. An asari named Shiala." John said as the soldier arched an eyebrow.

"Shiala? She's still here but why are you looking for her?" the soldier asked curiously.

"It's personal." Shepard said as the soldier looked the crew over.

"You're not from ExoGeni are you?" the soldier asked as Shepard shook his head.

"Far from it. I'm a Spectre with the Citadel Council, this is my team, and we're here to help with whatever problems you might have." Shepard said as the Soldier quickly snapped a salute.

"Oh sir I'm so sorry! I didn't recognize you!" the soldier said as Shepard chuckled.

"At ease soldier…just lead us to Zhu's Hope." Shepard said as the Soldier nodded.

"Yes sir, this way sir." The soldier said as he led them through the not as ruined structure to where Zhu's Hope sat. They saw the once ruined machinery was much cleaner and more functional than normal but other parts of it were packed up in crates.

"Commander? Is that you?" a woman asked as Shepard and his squad passed by.

"Lizbeth Baynham? You're still here?" Shepard asked as the former ExoGeni employee shrugged.

"I never left, mom's still here too. We decided to stick around and help the colonists…considering we did bring the Thorian on them." Lizbeth explained.

"Perhaps you could help me. I'm looking for Shiala, the asari commando, have you seen her?" Shepard asked as Lizbeth thought for a moment.

"She departed with one of two ExoGeni salvage teams to the old ExoGeni building an hour ago. Mom and I stayed behind to help pack up here. Ledra's freighter is a bit far off from being space worthy." Lizbeth replied.

"When is she due back?" Shepard asked.

"I think she's due to report in any second now…check on the freighter, they've got the communications gear in there." Lizbeth replied as Shepard nodded.

"Okay then, all of you fan out and see what can be done to help the colonists with their packing, Jane you're with me." John said as the group spread out to assist the colonists and the Shepard twins headed into the freighter after Dr. Baynham.

As they entered a room along one wall, they saw Dr. Julianna Baynham with her daughter and a man wearing a suit of armor sitting at a computer console.

"Commander Shepard, it is good to see you again." Julianna said with a pleased smile on her face as she saw the Captain enter.

"Actually I'm a Captain now." Shepard replied.

"What brings you back to Feros?" Julianna asked curiously.

"My sister and I are looking for Shiala. She has something that is of great value to the two of us." John said as the mother and daughter duo gave each other a curious look.

"You mean…the Prothean Cipher?" Lizbeth asked.

"You know about it?" Jane asked.

"She told us that she possessed it. She's tried to take advantage of it and become a historian on the city's past, prior to the Prothean's extinction, but she hasn't had much success however and now probably never will." Lizbeth said as Jane thought for a moment.

"Did she give any of you the cipher?" she asked.

"No. She didn't feel like the scientists around here could be trusted with such a valuable piece of knowledge. Though I can't say that I don't feel the same way." Lizbeth explained as the armored man at the desk groaned in frustration.

"What's the matter with you?" Jane asked as the soldier gave a frustrated sigh.

"I cannot get a message through to any of our salvage teams. It's infuriating." The man grumbled.

"Did you check the equipment?" John asked as the man whirled around and glared at them.

"The transmitter works fine ya Yahoo! The problem is on their end not ours!" the man spat as Lizbeth face palmed.

"James you idiot! Do you have any idea who you just insulted?!" Lizbeth asked angrily.

"What's so special about these two? They're just a couple of reps from ExoGeni aren't they?" James asked back.

"Captain John Shepard, SSV Normandy, Citadel Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." John introduced as James froze in terror.

"You're a S-S-S-S-Spectre?!" he asked breathlessly as the four other humans in the room nodded.

"My most sincere apologies Captain! I had no idea who you were!" James said with a salute.

"At ease, no harm done." Shepard said with a nod as James breathed a sigh of relief.

"What is it you're working on James?" Jane asked as James pointed his thumb at the console.

"I'm supposed to be monitoring both the salvage team's progress in the ExoGeni building, and monitoring the space traffic. So far we've heard nothing from the salvage teams and the five ships in orbit have made it abundantly clear that they're not here for the Colony…they're here for the ExoGeni stuff." James explained.

"When did they tell you this?" John asked as his and Jane's gut feeling about the orbiting ships returned.

"They sent a text message to us upon arrival. One of their ships docked at the ExoGeni building shortly before you arrived." James replied.

"I can't help but feel like there's something strange going on over there. First ships arrive but for ExoGeni…then we lose contact with our salvage teams." Julianna said worriedly.

"Do you want us to check it out?" John asked as Julianna shook her head.

"I appreciate the offer Captain but you would have a long walk ahead of you…the salvage teams took our Mako and we have no other means of transportation…except for an old rover that we've been slowly repairing for such emergencies." Julianna replied.

"We have a Mako on our ship. We could off load it onto the skyway and get to the building from there." John said as Lizbeth shrugged.

"If you're going out there…then you'll need a guide to help you out." Lizbeth said as Julianna gave her a disapproving look.

"Lizbeth Mercedes Baynham, you are not going out to that death trap again!" Julianna said as Lizbeth growled.

"Augh! I!!! AM NOT!!! A CHILD ANYMORE!!! Stop treating me like one!!!" Lizbeth yelled as James, John, and Jane quietly and hastily backed out of the room, leaving the squabbling family members to themselves.

"Okay…that was unpleasant." Jane said as they closed the door behind them.

"They've been that way for a while now. Liz wants to go off and join the Alliance military as a xenobiologist while her mother wants her to stay at her side…if you ask me, her mother is a bit possessive…kind hearted but possessive." James said as John shrugged.

"I can't say that I know the feeling." John said as Jane stood leaning against the wall in deep thought.

"Regardless. Liz is a tough woman, and she can indeed take care of herself. She told me about you Captain. About how you and your team rescued her in the ExoGeni building from both the geth and a bunch of wild Varren. Since then she's been more outgoing and more adventurous. She even convinced Shiala to teach her how to use a gun more effectively." James explained as John noticed the expressions James made when he mentioned Lizbeth.

"I get the feeling you're pretty close to her." John said as James gave a chuckle.

"Liz and I have been friends for about a year and a half…just friends." James said as Shepard gave him a knowing smirk.

"I'll believe that when I see it." John said as he and Jane headed outside.

* * *

**Later…**

John and the crew were assisting in packing up the additional gear for the colonists. Wrex and Ashley were assisting the guard's patrol the perimeter, Garrus, Kaiden, Dr. Chakwas, and Liara in packing up the colony's medical supplies, and Jane and Tali were busy packing up the technical equipment.

"So, my brother has never seen your real face?" Jane asked as Tali gave a giggle.

"Nope. There are even times when I forget what my face even looks like." Tali giggled.

"Someday you're going to have to take that helmet off and show us what you look like…infection or not." Jane said as Tali shrugged.

"Maybe someday…perhaps once we get my people settled back in on our homeworld, I'll remove my mask so you can see what I look like." Tali said as Jane smirked with sinister glee.

"By the way…what's five plus one?" she asked.

"Ten, why do you…oh Keelah." Tali cursed in her native tongue as Jane snickered.

"Why do you insult me?" Tali spat angrily.

"It amused me." Jane replied casually as Tali resisted the urge to use dampening on her, even if she was John Shepard's sister. However a well targeted dampening blast hit Jane anyway but from a different direction. Tali turned and saw John standing with his Omni tool activated.

"I hate that joke." John said as he walked away, leaving a grumbling Jane and a vindicated and smug Tali behind.

* * *

**On the Normandy…**

Pressley was performing his rounds as he approached the cockpit where Joker sat with a pair of headphones plugged into the terminal.

"Joker! Get those headphones off your head immediately!" Pressley ordered as Joker motioned to wait as he listened closer.

"Joker!!!" Pressley bellowed as Joker turned towards him with a concerned expression on his face.

"Commander I think the Captain was right about those ships in orbit. There's definitely something fishy about them." Joker said as he removed his headphones and a confused look swept Pressley's face.

"What are you talking about?" Pressley asked.

"I've been attempting to monitor their communications for a while. It's dead silent on all the Alliance channels except for the occasional radio chatter from the colony, but nothing from orbit." Joker said as Pressley leaned in towards the adjacent console.

"Have you tried non-Alliance channels?" Pressley asked as Joker turned back to his console and placed the headphones back on his head.

"Not yet, I was about to-…" Joker said as his voice trailed off.

"Joker?" Pressley asked concerned as Joker motioned to wait again.

"Commander…" Joker said as he removed the plug his headphones were in, allowing a strange alien language to play through the speakers, "…I think we have a problem."

Pressley nodded as he shuddered.

"I recognize that language…I heard it from my post during the Skyllian Blitz and again during the incident with that asteroid over Terra Nova, and there's only one race that uses that language…batarians!" Pressley said as Joker did a double take.

"Batarians, are they insane?! This is an Alliance Colony! Don't they know that if they attack, that the Alliance AND the Citadel will retaliate?!" Joker asked as Pressley started pacing behind the pilot's station.

"I don't know…but we have to warn the Captain…and do so with subtlety. Maybe send a runner with the message." Pressley said as the airlock opened and Cpl. Millhouse walked in with a crate load of equipment.

"I found the licenses." She said with a perky grin.

"Millhouse! You run allot don't you?" Pressley asked as Eliza blushed and bashfully put her hands behind her back.

"Well…I was the captain of my track team in high school. Took first place in the inter-colony endurance race." Eliza replied as Joker handed Pressley a note which read…

"_Urgent!"_

"_Batarians in orbit, not Alliance. Suspect communications monitoring, do not use radios unless absolutely necessary. Awaiting instructions…"_

"_Joker & Pressley"_

Pressley gave Joker a nod and handed the corporal the note.

"Corporal, I need you to hand deliver this message to the Captain or one of his companions. It is imperative that he receives this immediately so you need to run as fast as you possibly can. That's an order corporal!" Pressley said as Elisa didn't even bother saluting, she was out the airlock door in a flash.

* * *

**Back at the Zhu's Hope Colony…**

"Captain I believe that we have everything squared away, but the fact that we still don't have any contact with the salvage team is starting to worry the colonists." Kaiden said as John nodded understandingly.

"I know, they managed to repair the old rover in the garage near the skyway, Garrus, Tali, Jane and I are going to look for them right now." John replied as he donned his helmet.

"Good hunting Captain." Kaiden said with a salute. John saluted back and headed for the hole in the wall that led to the skyway elevator where Tali, Garrus, and Jane were waiting.

"Why do you keep insisting that I come along?" Jane asked impatiently.

"Because we're family and it is my unalienable right to annoy the fire out of you at any given moment…having you along makes it easier." John replied as he passed the back entrance to the freighter, where Lizbeth emerged while putting on the last of a suit of armor.

"I don't care what my mom says. I'm going with you into that building." Lizbeth said as she cocked a Stiletto V pistol.

"Okay then let's go." Shepard said as they headed for the skyway elevator just as Cpl. Millhouse arrived at the colony site. She looked around frantically but didn't see the Captain anywhere.

"CAPTAIN SHEPARD!!!" Elisa shouted but to no avail.

"Corporal?! By the goddess what's the matter? You've gone pale!" Liara asked worriedly as Elisa handed her the note.

"From Commander Pressley and Joker…it's urgent." Elisa said as the Spectre team gathered around. Liara read the note and turned a noticeably lighter shade of blue.

"By the goddess." Liara said as she looked around in search of Shepard.

"Shepard, the quarian, the turian, and his sister headed to the skyway just a second ago." Wrex said as Ashley prepped her rifle.

"We can't help them now. They've gotten on the rover by now and are heading straight for an ambush, what's worse; those blasted batarians may take the opportunity to strike with the Captain gone." Ashley said as Kaiden nodded.

"We have to get the colonists out of here and now!" Kaiden said as Ashley hit her comlink button.

"Joker! Prep the Normandy for launch ASAP! Captain! We've got a batarian problem! Repeat we've got a batarian problem!" Ashley barked as the colonists around them gave them a disbelieving look.

"_Way ahead of you LT!" _Joker replied over the comms.

"What are you nuts Williams!? You just blew our element of surprise!" Wrex shouted as Ashley turned back to the krogan.

"But we've also ruined the batarian's element of surprise on the Captain and the guys on the rover. Not to mention that the batarians will have a much harder time of attacking the colony if the colonists are prepared." Ashley replied.

"Ashley is correct. With their one advantage now gone, the batarians will now be forced into a more direct confrontation." Liara said as Julianna overheard as she passed by and froze at the mention of the batarians.

"Batarians?! Here on Feros?!" Julianna asked in disbelief as she approached.

"We have strong reason to believe that the batarians are in control of those ships in orbit, not the Alliance. They may also be the reason that your salvage teams haven't been reporting in." Kaiden said as Joker called in over the radio again.

"_Normandy to shore party! Normandy to shore party! Shore party do you read?!" _Joker called over the radio.

"Go ahead Joker!" Ashley said into her helmet radio.

"_We're picking up increased chatter from the batarian ships. One of their ships just started moving at full speed towards the surface…whoa they just jettisoned their escape pods…oh crap!"_ Joker said as the shore party froze in expectation.

"_What do you mean by 'oh crap,' Joker?" _Captain Shepard's voice asked from over the radio.

"_Pressley just traced the trajectory on the freighter…its heading straight towards Zhu's Hope and shows no sign of stopping! They're going to crash the ship into the colony!"_ Joker replied as the shore party paled in unison.

They were standing on what would soon become Ground Zero for a smoldering crash site.

* * *

**End Chapter 9**

Again, another reference to "Why are humans smarter than quarians," by Wraithfighter.


	10. Feros part 3

The four shore party members stood in disbelief at the news.

"Joker what's the eta on the crash down!?" Kaiden asked as he and the group started heading towards the center of the colony where the colonists had been gathering, each with either a large crate in their hands or containers strapped on their backs…both in most cases.

"_ETA is one minute, thirty six seconds and counting!" _Joker replied.

"Open up the airlock! We can worry about decon later!" Ash ordered.

"_You got it Lt!" _Joker replied.

"EVERYONE!" Ashley shouted to the colonists, "RUN TO THE NORMANDY NOW!!! THERE'S A SHIP ABOUT TO CRASH INTO THIS PLACE!!!"

Instantly the colonists started screaming and running as fast as they could with our heroes standing at the end of the row as all nineteen of the colonists present ran for their lives down to the Normandy. As the last of the colonists headed into the stairwells leading to the dock, a loud boom was heard overhead. Ash, Liara, Wrex, and Kaiden looked up to see a large glowing fireball heading straight towards them in the distance. The four didn't waste any time and headed for the stairs. They were the last ones into the airlock section.

"Joker! They're on, get us airborne now!!!" Pressley ordered as the outer airlock door closed.

"What about the Captain?!" Joker replied.

"_Joker, move it or lose it! That's a direct order!"_ Shepard ordered over the Comms.

"HANG ON!!!" Joker shouted as the Normandy's reverse thrusters engaged and ripped the boarding ramps and magnetic grips from the walls where they tumbled towards the ground below due to lack of power. The Normandy banked hard to its port side before its engines engaged and the ship rocketed away from the tower. Mere seconds later, the freighter crashed straight into the tower in a blinding and deafening explosion but the Normandy was safe.

"Phew…that was a close one." Joker said with a sigh of relief.

"For us, yes…but for the Captain?" Ashley asked as Joker looked to where large chunks of destroyed tower came tumbling down on the skyway, breaking the part connecting the colony tower to the weigh station into large chunks.

"Captain Shepard this is the Normandy do you read?" Joker asked into the radio, but all they got was static.

"Captain Shepard, do you copy?!" Joker asked again as the crew on the ship fell silent in hope of hearing some form of response from the Captain.

Finally Ashley, with a tear forming in her eye, leaned into the comlink.

"Damn it John, answer us you Spectre son of a batarian!!!" Ashley shouted with heavy breath as Kaiden put a hand on her shoulder to restrain her. Finally the crew and passengers lowered their head in sadness and defeat at the lack of a response.

"It's over chief…he's gone." Kaiden said as Ashley conceived defeat as she and the rest of the shore party headed towards the back of the ship.

"_You certainly have a way with words Ash." _A familiar voice said from over the comms.

"Shepard?!" Ashley asked as the whole crew and every passenger went wide eyed.

"_We're all here Ashley. Even Dr. Baynham. We just barely escaped the rover before the skyway collapsed beneath her. We're in the weigh station and we could use the Mako right now."_ John said as the crew and passengers erupted into cheers of celebration.

"Consider it done Captain! Normandy is on route to your location with the Mako." Joker said with a relieved smile as the shore party scrambled to the elevator below deck.

"_Thanks Joker…and once you deliver it…I want you to give our batarian friends in orbit an appropriate aloha."_ John said as Joker and Pressley exchanged eager nods.

"Yes sir." Joker said as Commander Pressley turned to the ship wide communications console and uttered the words the whole crew, and even most of the passengers, wanted to hear…

"BATTLE STATIONS!!!"

* * *

**At the Weigh Station…**

Jane and Lizbeth were looking at the smoldering colony with silent sadness.

"It's hard to see your home destroyed, or even attacked…I know, I've been there." Jane said as Lizbeth gave her a concerned look.

"Really?" she asked.

"You're looking at a survivor of the Skyllian Blitz. The batarians were responsible for that one too, only this time no slaves were taken." Jane replied as Lizbeth looked back at the burning colony.

"I wouldn't be so sure. The salvage teams are still MIA, they could be anywhere inside that building, or worse they could be on the ship that's docked with the ExoGeni building on the roof." Lizbeth said as Jane clinched her fists.

"Bro!" Jane said as she spun around to face her brother who was standing nearby as he communicated with the Normandy.

"Right…we're on our way." John said into his comlink as Jane and Lizbeth approached.

"Bro we need to talk." Jane said as John nodded.

"I assume you can talk and run at the same time?" John asked as the five turned and started running up the ramp to the second level with their weapons primed.

"We have to go into the ExoGeni building. If the batarians are the ones in control of those Alliance ships, then chances are that they've taken the salvage teams, including this asari commando, as potential slaves." Jane said as they reached the top of the first ramp and turned to start climbing up the second.

"I agree, and we are most definitely going in. I called for the Mako to be deployed on the skyway on the second level; we'll have her fire power on our side." John replied.

"How many people can fit in that thing anyway?" Lizbeth asked.

"Approximately seven humanoids…more if we, as you humans say, 'get cozy with each other." Garrus replied as the three humans gave him a wry glance as they reached the top of the ramps. They heard the Normandy's engines droning outside as they ran through the door, just as the Mako rolled onto the skyway with Ashley, Kaiden, Wrex, and Liara inside.

"Going my way skipper?" Ashley asked as she surrendered the driver seat.

"Thanks Williams." John said as he took the wheel.

"_Captain this is Normandy, we're heading after those batarians, it's payback time!" _Joker said as the Normandy lifted up a few yards then rocketed into orbit with its weapons primed.

"You took the words right out of my mouth Joker. This one's for the Blitz!" John replied as the Mako rolled off towards the ExoGeni building.

"HEY! Watch your hands, krogan!" Lizbeth yelped as she held on for dear life.

"It wasn't me!" Wrex grumbled.

"Then who was it?!" Lizbeth asked.

"It could have been anyone doctor, these are cramped quarters after all." Garrus replied as Lizbeth glared at him.

"Is that an admission of guilt, turian?" Lizbeth sniped at the turian agent.

"Don't be absurd doctor." Garrus replied indignantly as the Mako swerved to avoid a barrage of oncoming rocket fire.

"We've got batarian rocket troopers in the tower!" Ash shouted as John stopped the Mako and went to maximum zoom on the Mako's turret. Three shots with the main cannon, several dozen rounds of the anti-personnel cannon, and one or two uses of the jump jets later, Shepard smirked as he returned to the main controls.

"Make that, once batarian rocket troopers, now permanent four eyed corpses." John replied as the Mako rolled off once again. Finally the Mako skidded to a halt outside the main building where the other two Mako's, once used by the salvage teams, sat untouched.

"Alright everybody out!" John ordered as the group bounded out with their weapons primed, armor shields raised, Omni-tools active, and biotic powers shimmering. Instantly they were assailed by a swarm of trained Varren which were quickly gunned down by weapons fire, or effortlessly tossed aside with biotic powers.

"Doctor, I believe you are our guide, after you. Wrex, Ash, stay close to her." John ordered as Liz led the group inside with their weapons raised. Garrus then saw a small stream of dust fall in front of him. He knew what it meant, and aimed his assault rifle upwards, firing off a few rounds, and quickly jumping to one side as a dead batarian fell to the floor.

"Damn! These are the most well skilled batarians I've ever met!" Kaiden said as Wrex fired off a few more rounds into the ceiling. He turned back to the L2 biotic with a shrug.

"I dunno…" Wrex said as three dead batarians fell to the floor behind him, "…It kind of adds more excitement to the battle."

"Excitement for you, krogan, greater risk to the rest of us." Lizbeth replied.

"His name's Wrex by the way…I thought you knew that?" John asked as Lizbeth shrugged.

"Well excuse me for not getting chummy with your friends the last time you were here." Lizbeth replied.

"Can we shove the chatter and find the salvage teams before their ship get's airborne?!" Jane asked with an annoyed and determined tone as the rest of the crew gathered around.

"Let's split up. Lizbeth, Wrex, Ash, and Tali go one direction, the rest of us will go the other. Meet up on the roof if you can." John ordered as the group nodded and went their assigned directions.

"I know we haven't known each other for long, but where did this sudden boost of determination come from Miss Shepard?" Liara asked as they ran.

"Because if those batarian bastards get airborne, then those captured salvage teams will be sold into slavery like I was after the Blitz!" Jane spat angrily in response, taking the asari scientist by surprise.

"I'm sorry Shepard, I did not mean to offend you." Liara replied.

"Huh? Oh uh…look forget about it, I'm a bit on edge right now!" Jane replied as they raced up a set of stairs.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

Lizbeth and the others charged up another set of stairs, and came face to face with a small squad of batarian mercs.

"Shoot them!" one of the mercs ordered. But before they could, a sabotage charge from out of nowhere hit the small cluster of mercs, disabling their weapons shortly before the mercs were thrown off the ledge to their dooms with a biotic throw.

The four heroes stood in disbelief for a moment but quickly recovered and aimed their weapons around the corner the sabotage charge came from, only to come face to face with a certain pink skinned asari commando.

"Who are you?!" Shiala asked as she held her assault rifle in her hands cautiously.

"Easy sister, we're with the Alliance, we've come looking for you." Ashley said as Shiala didn't budge.

"Shiala they're telling the truth!" Lizbeth said as the asari commando slowly recognized them.

"Lizbeth? What are you doing here?! Dah, never mind that, it's just good to see a friendly face right now…especially faces belonging to the first human Spectre in history." Shiala said with a slight yet exhausted smile as she recognized Lizbeth's three escorts.

"How did you wind up here?" Tali asked.

"There were eight of us. We split into two groups of four, two soldiers, one ExoGeni tech, and one civilian per group. I was classified as the civilian in my group. We came here looking for discarded ExoGeni and geth technology, and any useful information that got left behind after the geth attack two years ago. Up until this point we haven't even dared come in here." Shiala quickly explained.

"Then what happened?" Ashley asked.

"We all got ambushed by batarian slavers. I was taken too but I woke up sooner and disabled my captors. I took one of their weapons and killed the lot. My companions weren't anywhere in sight, but I heard one of the slavers say that they were being taken to the ship on the roof." Shiala replied.

"We've got to hurry! If it gets airborne, they will get away." Tali said eagerly.

"Or worse, the Normandy will shoot them out of the sky!" Wrex added.

"We've got to stop that ship!" Ashley said as she turned to Shiala, "Can you take us to the ship?"

"Follow me, but hurry!" Shiala said as she raised her rifle and led them off and up the stairs.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

Shepard and his group entered a room that was obviously once an executive office…as if the words "Executive office" printed in fading gold letters on the doorframe wasn't enough of a clue.

Inside, they saw five bound and gagged human males a familiar salarian male in the same situation on the floor with a pack of drooling Varren sitting around staring at the hostages. John gave a nod to Garrus, and they both drew their sniper rifles as Jane, Kaiden, and Liara prepped their biotic powers. John and Garrus fired off two rounds each and took out five Varren in one volley as the other three hurled the remaining Varren out the windows to their doom. (A/N: One of the shots went straight through the head of one Varren and pierced the skull of another one next to it)

"These must be the salvagers, they're still alive!" Kaiden said as they approached.

"But I heard the colonists say there were eight of them. Shiala included." Garrus said as they heard the whine of a ship's engines start up overhead.

"GARRUS, LIARA, PROTECT THE HOSTAGES! KAIDEN, JANE, YOU'RE WITH ME!" John shouted over the deafening roar as the three raced up a nearby pair of stairs and onto the roof where they saw a pair of armored batarians throw a bound and gagged woman inside the ship's hold. There was another batarian overseeing the situation. The overseer turned and glared sinisterly at the Spectre and his crew.

As soon as he did though, John's eyes widened in a combination of surprise and anger, he recognized the batarian from two years ago.

"YOU AGAIN?!" Shepard growled as the batarian narrowed his four eyes at the Spectre.

"It would seem that our paths cross once again, John Shepard." the batarian growled back.

"YOU HAVE A LOT TO ANSWER FOR BALAK! TERRA NOVA AND THIS!!!" Shepard shouted at the batarian terrorist. Balak, the mastermind behind the Asteroid X57 incident stood before him once again. Jane had her weapon trained on the batarian but Kaiden was looking at the woman being hauled inside the stolen alliance ship. He recognized her from somewhere but he couldn't place her at the moment.

"Maybe so, but it won't be today Shepard. Once again I hold all the cards. A device monitoring my heart rate is linked to a small yet very deadly nuclear device several levels below us. If my heart stops beating, the bomb detonates. But once my ship reaches the mass relay, the bomb will defuse itself. A little bit of an insurance policy to make sure that we both live to play this little game of what you humans call, cat and mouse, that we have between us Shepard." Balak said as Shepard tightened his grip on his weapon with a frustrated growl.

Finally he lowered his weapon and used his free hands to lower his comrade's weapons as well.

"You may have won this round Balak. But mark my words, you won't win the next!" John growled as Balak gave a smug batarian grin.

"We'll see Shepard…we'll see." Balak said as he backed up and into the freighter. The doors closed tight just as Shiala and the others made it up to the roof.

"WE CAN'T JUST LET HIM GET AWAY!!!" Jane shouted as John grabbed her by the wrist and glared at her.

"NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO ARGUE! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE THAT NUKE DETONATES!!!" Shepard shouted as they all turned and ran down the stairways as fast as they could with the hostages and the rest of the team in tow.

"Shepard to Normandy, Come in Normandy!" John shouted into his comlink.

"_What's going on Captain?! The last freighter is taking off!"_ Joker replied.

"Forget them! We've got a nuke under our feet and we need dust off like yesterday!" Shepard shouted as they passed the unofficial half-way mark.

"_On the way Captain!"_ Joker replied as they reached the main floor.

"What do we do?!" Lizbeth asked as they reached the Makos.

"Grab a Mako and head for the lower level of the weigh station!" John ordered as the salvage team took one Mako, Lizbeth, Shiala, Wrex, Ashley, Tali took the second Mako and the rest took the other Mako. The three Makos started racing down the skyway as fast as the wheels could carry them. Suddenly part of the bridge gave way beneath the second Mako, leaving its rear two wheels dangling off the edge.

The front two wheels spun like mad to try and pull the Mako back onto the road but to no avail.

"We're stuck!" Lizbeth yelped as the other two Makos skidded to a halt infront of them.

"Everyone out!" Wrex shouted as he used biotic throw on Ashley and hurled her to safety, he then did the same thing with Tali.

"Shiala come on! The Mako isn't going to make it!" Lizbeth shouted to Shiala who was sitting in the driver seat keeping the front tires spinning.

"If the tires stop spinning, this thing will drop through the floor!" Shiala replied.

"We're not leaving you!" Lizbeth said as Wrex jumped to safety and prepared a biotic lift to use on Lizbeth.

"Lizbeth!" Shiala said as she grabbed Lizbeth at the sides of her head and held her close, looking into each other's eyes, "Embrace Eternity!"

Instantly Shiala's eyes went dark and the two melded for a moment before Shiala released the doctor who fell unconscious. Shiala then used her own biotic powers and hurled Lizbeth onto the street next to Wrex.

The others watched in horror as Shiala smiled, took her foot off the gas, and hit the jump jets. The Mako flew back but hit the side of the opening, and fell through the hole into the cloud filled abyss below with Shiala in it.

Wrex quickly grabbed the Doctor's unconscious form and leapt into the Mako with Shepard's team along with Tali. Ashley quickly leapt into the other Mako and took the wheel. The two Makos quickly raced off towards the weigh station as the Normandy flew towards the lower entrance to the skyway.

"_Normandy to Shore party! Opening garage doors now!"_ Joker reported as the Normandy positioned itself with a slight gap between the garage and the remains of the weigh station skyway.

"HANG ON!!!" John shouted as the two Mako's rounded the corner on the bottom ramp and with a burst from the jump jets, landed safely in the Normandy's garage.

"Joker they're in! Get us out of here!" Engineer Adams reported.

"HANG ON TO YOUR LUNCH!!!" Joker said as the Normandy backed up slightly and rocketed into orbit as fast as it could fly. Fortunately they reached orbit mere seconds before they saw a massive nuclear explosion from the tower.

The Normandy had escaped a second nuclear blast.

* * *

**End Chapter 10.**

Having Balak appear again was an idea I had for this fic since the beginning. He'll become a more prominent threat in later chapters.


	11. Fallout

The crew and passengers were rather solemn with the utter destruction of the colony, first by a kamikaze freighter and then by a nuclear bomb. Lizbeth was still unconscious in the med-lab with her mother standing at her side.

Dr. Chakwas was doing medical examinations on every one of the colonists since they didn't use the decontamination beams in the airlock upon entry. Jane and Liara were slowly trying to translate the spoken Prothean in Dr. Shepard's notes but their progress was slow.

The rest of the crew was busy going about their business. John was busy contacting the Fifth Fleet for a ship to pick up the colonists.

"_I heard about Feros, Captain. And I'm sorry to hear about Shiala. The Alliance is putting an APB out for Balak and tripling the reward for his corpse."_ Admiral Hackett said over the comms.

"Balak has a lot to answer for. Shiala wasn't just any ordinary asari commando; she was the last of Matriarch Benezia's commando escorts, not to mention the last person besides myself who possessed the Prothean cipher. What's more, she was a protector of the colonists and proudly laid her life on the line several times to protect them." Shepard replied as the admiral sighed.

"_She will indeed be missed. I'm sending a transport to the Hades Gamma cluster where you can off load the colonists. If you're going to meet up with the quarian flotilla, then perhaps you should conceder heading to the Citadel and putting the Normandy through a ship wide decon."_ Hackett suggested as Shepard nodded in agreement.

"Good idea Admiral. I better contact them and tell them we haven't given up on them." John said.

"_A good idea Captain. I'll leave you to that then, Fifth Fleet out." _Hackett said as the transmission cut out.

"Joker, have Tali report to the conference room." Shepard ordered as he headed for the conference room in the back of the ship. A few minutes later Tali entered the conference room.

"Just in time Tali, I was about to contact the flotilla." John said as he punched in a couple commands and the orange hued hologram of an obviously female quarian in the typical bio-suit flickered in front of them.

"_I am Admiral Plathena'Bothea Vas Torrent; I am speaking on behalf of both the Admiralty board and the conclave. I see you have met up with Zorah vas Manchester."_ The admiral said via hologram.

"We have. I am Captain John Shepard, SSV Normandy, Citadel Special Tactics and Recon, and I am contacting you to inform you that we haven't forgotten about the quarians, we have been attempting to head to your location but different situations keep arising that take a higher priority. In fact less than an hour ago we just evacuated the Alliance Colony of Zhu's Hope on Feros due to a batarian slaver attack." John explained as the admiral nodded.

"_I understand perfectly Captain Shepard. Zorah vas Manchester informed us of your occasional tendency to put certain assignments off to pursue higher priority assignments."_ The Admiral replied.

"I eagerly look forward to working with you and your people. But for the time being my ship is liable to be put into quarantine due to the situation on Feros. We have to go through a ship wide decon before we leave port again. If you wish to send an emissary to the Citadel, it would probably work out better that way, and then the Council can be informed of the situation." Shepard said as the Admiral paused at the mention of the Citadel Council.

"_I'm afraid that we must refuse your request Captain. We believe that the Council won't agree to see us until we have purged the Perseus Vail of the geth and have retaken our homeworld."_ The admiral said as Shepard crossed his arms.

"The council of three hundred years ago is much different than the council of today, and right now we need to be more united than ever before." Shepard said as the Admiral sighed.

"_Very well Captain…we shall send a member of the Admiralty board to serve as our emissary to the council. However we demand that you be present for the meeting."_ The admiral said with her arms crossed.

"You have my word that I will be there Admiral…the word of a Spectre." John said as the Admiral gave a nod.

"_I hope for the sake of this potential alliance, that your actions speak louder than your words, Captain_." The Admiral said as her hologram dissolved.

"That was…frightening." Tali said as John shrugged.

"I take it that you know her?" John asked.

"Naturally…usually she's rather spiteful but she's very intelligent in matters of security and military tactics. I suppose the Admiralty board believes the latter two qualities make up for the first." Tali said.

"Well now it's time for me to inform the Council of the situation." John said as he pressed the intercom button, "Joker, put me through to the Council."

"_Yes sir, Captain."_ Joker replied as the holograms of the four councilmen flickered into view before them.

"_Captain Shepard. We've just heard of the batarian's vile act at Feros. Rest assured that we will not stand for this. The batarians should know by now that humanity is a Citadel race!"_ The salarian councilman said with venom in his voice.

"_You must forgive our companion…he lost his brother to a batarian during a trade negotiation gone bad."_ The turian councilman said.

"_Regardless, the batarians have made a grave error in attacking Feros the way they did. If you hadn't shown up when you did or exposed their presence before they could carry out whatever plans they had, the loss of life could have been staggering."_ The asari councilwoman said as John nodded.

"Be that as it may, Feros could very well be our Lusitania for starting a war with the Terminus Systems." John said as the three alien councilmen furrowed their brows and looked at each other confused.

"_I'm not quite sure I know what you mean Captain? Is this another human euphemism_?" the turian councilman said as Councilman Anderson gave an amused smile.

"_The Lusitania was a human sea faring vessel in the early eighteenth century that pulled a whole nation into what is referred to as the First World War when it was sunk."_ Anderson explained as the other three council members nodded in understanding.

"_At least there were only two casualties, one presumed dead and one taken hostage." _The salarian councilman said as Shepard crossed his arms angrily.

"That one presumed dead was the last of Matriarch Benezia's personal asari commando escort. She was a friend to the whole colony. The other woman was taken captive and I can practically guarantee you that she will be sold into slavery." Shepard spat as the councilmen looked at each other again.

"_Yes this Balak seems to be quite the nuisance." _The turian said with a thoughtful expression,_ "If I remember correctly, the late Spectre Nihlus Kyrik, was investigating a batarian terrorist cell under the leadership of a batarian slaver named Balak…I'll send you Nihlus's files to you."_

"I'll appreciate that sir, but there's another reason I called. The quarians have approached me with a request to assist them with clearing out the remaining geth within the Perseus Vail. They're sending an emissary to the Citadel and I believe that it would be in the best interest of the Council to support the quarians in this noble endeavor." John said as the council looked at each other thoughtfully.

"_The emissary has permission to dock at the Citadel. We will discuss the Citadel's potential involvement during the meeting, not before. We need time to consider our options."_ The asari councilwoman said as John nodded.

"_Also I believe putting your ship into decon would be a wise choice before you meet the emissary."_ The turian councilmember said as John smirked and nodded again.

"I heartily agree. We're going to rendezvous with an Alliance vessel to offload the colonists first then we'll be heading to the Citadel." Shepard said as the four councilmen nodded in agreement.

"_We shall await your arrival."_ The asari councilwoman said as the holograms disappeared.

"Well, this is certainly a switch from two years ago." Tali said as a startled Shepard jumped.

"Oh Tali! You're still here. I thought you had left for the engineering section." John said as Tali laughed.

"No, I wanted to see what the council had to say first." Tali said as John shrugged.

"Their tune has changed dramatically since Sovereign's attack two years ago. They recognize the gravity of the situation with the Reapers just sitting there in dark space waiting for the signal to attack." John explained as Tali cocked her head to one side.

"This may be true, but what happens when the Reapers are gone?" Tali asked as Shepard paused.

"I'd rather not think that far ahead frankly." John said as they headed out the door.

* * *

**Later…**

In the Med lab, Julianna Baynham was standing over her daughter with a somber expression. Finally Dr. Chakwas decided to try and talk with the doctor.

"She's going to be fine. There's nothing physically wrong with her." Dr. Chakwas reassured as Julianna gave her a glare.

"I told her not to go. But did she listen?" Julianna said as she turned to the good doctor, "Do you have kids?"

"No but I do have a nephew that I'm rather close to." Chakwas replied with a proud smile.

"It's not the same as being a parent." Julianna said as Dr. Chakwas arched an eyebrow.

"I won't argue that point at all but I know what it's like to raise a child. I had to raise my nephew for several years while his father was away on business. Poor thing's mother was a mental case…so obsessed with every aspect of his life that when he scraped his knee one day, she nearly committed suicide." Dr. Chakwas explained as Julianna's eyes widened.

"That's horrible, what happened to her?" Julianna asked.

"Not sure…what would you do?" Chakwas asked as Julianna paused.

"What?" Julianna asked confused.

"Are you going to keep beating yourself over a decision Lizbeth made of her own accord, or accept the fact that she's a grown woman and doesn't need your authorization to do anything?" Chakwas asked as Julianna looked away slightly as if in thought.

Then they heard a soft moan from the bunk…Lizbeth was waking up.

"Ah, look who's decided to join us." Dr. Chakwas said as she approached the groggy Doctor.

"What happened? Where am I?" She asked confused as she sat up.

"We're not sure what happened to you really, none of the shore party members could see what was happening on the Mako before you suddenly flew out of it. As to where you are, you're on board the SSV Normandy in the med lab." Dr. Chakwas said as Lizbeth looked around.

"Captain Shepard's ship?" Lizbeth asked as Chakwas nodded, "I always wondered what it was like on board here…but wait…where is Shiala?"

"She…" Dr. Chakwas said but stopped as she remembered what she had heard from the shore party, "…she didn't make it."

Lizbeth looked crushed.

"What?" she asked in disbelief, "But she was on the…Mako."

"The Mako fell through the road…what do you remember about it?" Julianna asked.

"All I remember was Shiala grabbing my head and staring straight into my eyes saying 'Embrace Eternity,' and that's the last I remember." Lizbeth replied as Dr. Chakwas thought for a moment.

"Hmm…did you happen to dream anything between then and now?" Dr. Chakwas asked as Lizbeth's eyes widened.

"I did…I had this vision…massive machines, synthetics perhaps, wiping out an entire civilization, then I saw this massive monster that looked like a hybrid of a squid, a cuttlefish, and a crab rolled into one." Lizbeth explained as Dr. Chakwas recognized what she was talking about. She had been shown the vision from the Prothean beacon that Shiala had gleamed from Shepard's mind two years ago.

"It would certainly account for the rapid eye movement." Dr. Chakwas muttered absently.

"Huh?" Lizbeth asked as John entered.

"Ah, it's good to see you're alright Dr. Baynham. You had us worried there for a moment." John said as Dr. Chakwas gave him an interesting look.

"Physically she's fine, but apparently Shiala melded with her prior to getting thrown from the Mako. It would account for her being unconscious, and she claims to have been shown the same vision you were two years ago." Chakwas said as John did a double take between both Chakwas and Lizbeth.

"The…the vision from the Prothean Beacon on Eden Prime?" John asked as Chakwas gave a nod.

"Those were the Protheans in my vision?" Lizbeth asked perplexed.

"My vision actually. Shiala knew the cipher to understanding the Protheans. She must have copied what was in my mind into hers, and then into yours along with the cipher as one big bundle. The large quantity of information was probably too much for your brain to process at the time so you fainted from it." John said as Lizbeth pondered.

"Then does that mean I can read Prothean?" Lizbeth asked as the door to the back lab opened and Jane and Liara stuck their heads out.

"Who can read Prothean?" Jane asked.

"Apparently Lizbeth might be able to. Shiala must have given her the Cipher when they melded on the Mako." John said as Jane ducked back inside for a moment then emerged with a blank piece of paper with a single word in spoken Prothean on it.

"Can you read this?" Jane asked as Lizbeth looked at the paper.

"It says…Unsuccessful." Lizbeth read, confused.

"Bro! She can read dad's notes!" Jane said eagerly as both Baynhams gave them all a confused look.

"Come again?" Julianna asked.

"Somehow, Jane's and my father learned to write spoken Prothean…we don't know how but we know he wrote a portion of his notes in Prothean. We just can't find out what he wrote but whatever it is, is important to Jane and myself." John said as Lizbeth furrowed her brow.

"Then I was right…you were looking for Shiala for the cipher. But don't you already have it?" Lizbeth asked as John nodded.

"Yes and Liara did once, but she lost the cipher after taking a mean blow to the face from a large chunk of debris while on a mission last year…and I can't even pretend to understand what his writing says…far too much medical jargon. Asari Commandos are trained in all sorts of fields, including medical. We had hoped that she could help decipher Jane's and my father's notes on some form of secret project he was working on prior to his death during the Skyllian Blitz." John explained as Lizbeth had an idea.

"Maybe I can help you out. I do kinda owe you for saving my butt back there two years ago, and for letting me join you. Let me take a crack at the notes." Lizbeth said as she hopped off the medical bunk.

"You?" Jane asked confused.

"I'm a xenobiologist. I kinda specialize in medical jargon." Lizbeth said as John gave Dr. Chakwas a curious look.

"Doc, could you live having a second medical doctor on the Normandy?" John asked as Dr. Chakwas nodded.

"It would be a much needed sigh of relief to be able to have someone else to take care of the crew should something happen to me." Dr. Chakwas said with a smile.

"Mom? Usually you're screaming your head off for me not to go…are you okay?" Lizbeth asked as Julianna sighed.

"Actually…I've recently learned to let go. You are your own person and I really shouldn't stand in your way. It's your life…you should live it how you want to…just be sure to write me every now and then." Julianna replied as she and Lizbeth hugged. Julianna looked over to Dr. Chakwas who was giving an approving nod.

"Okay then." Lizbeth said as she and her mother separated, "Where are those notes?"

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

In the garage, Ledra and the soldiers from the salvage teams were silently pondering the fates of their two companions…one dead, and the other most likely soon-to-be-enslaved.

They didn't notice as the elevator doors opened, and Kaiden Alenko emerged from inside.

"You were members of the Salvage teams right?" Kaiden asked as he approached them.

"We were." One of the soldiers, D.J. said rudely.

"D.J. be nice…the guy was just asking a question." A female soldier, from Shiala's group, said as D.J. shrugged.

"I was wondering, which of you escorted the ExoGeni tech who got captured by the batarians?" Kaiden asked as D.J, Jeff, and Ledra raised their hands.

"We already answered the questions regarding her appearance, skills, and personality to the turian over there, what difference would more questions make?" Ledra asked as he pointed to Garrus by the Normandy's Mako.

"Oh, well I'll check with Garrus then. Sorry for your loss." Kaiden said as he backed away slowly.

"Lieutenant." Garrus greeted as he turned towards Alenko.

"Garrus do you have the profile on that woman the batarians took?" Kaiden asked as Garrus nodded.

"I forwarded a copy to Captain Shepard just a moment ago…why do you ask?" Garrus asked.

"Mind if I take a look at it? I want to find out who she was." Kaiden said as Garrus arched a curious eyebrow, his detective senses were tingling.

"There must be something about this woman that intrigues you Lieutenant Alenko. I'm curious as to the nature of this intrigue." Garrus said as Kaiden gave him a pleading look.

"It's personal Garrus. I beg you to leave it at that." Kaiden requested as Garrus gave an understanding nod.

"My apologies Alenko, I did not mean to offend." Garrus said as he stepped out of the way of the console. Kaiden brought up the file and started reading it.

It read…

**Name: Unknown. Full name not known by colleagues.**

**Age: Mid to late twenties/early thirties.**

**Known Alias: "Ray"**

**Known skills: Adept at biotic powers and effective with an Omni-tool.**

**Occupation: Technician with ExoGeni Corp. (Confirmation needed)**

**General info: Subject was highly secretive of her past, was hesitant to explain the origins of the listed alias. Displayed powerful biotic abilities when afraid or under extreme pressure, however excess use of biotic abilities resulted in a short blackout.**

Kaiden pondered for a moment as he turned away from the console.

"Garrus…" he said after a moment, "…have we received confirmation on her employment at ExoGeni yet?"

"Not yet but we should when we reach the Citadel. C-Sec takes slavery cases rather seriously since Humanity became a Citadel race. Anyone who doesn't cooperate is liable to feel some extreme pressure from C-Sec until they start cooperating." Garrus said as Kaiden nodded.

"Garrus I want to help you out. Let me help with your investigation as to who she is, something tells me that I know her from somewhere, but I just cannot place where from." Kaiden said as Garrus shrugged.

"I would welcome the assistance Lieutenant Alenko." Garrus said with a turian smile as Kaiden smiled back and headed for the elevator.

* * *

**End Chapter 11.**

Will Kaiden ever find out who this Ray woman is? (If you have an idea, PM me with your answer but don't say it in your review). Will the Normandy EVER get to the quarian flotilla? And where's Executor in all this?

Find out in the chapters to come…


	12. Fond Memories

The Normandy was docked with a large Alliance passenger transport with two frigates flying escort as the colonists were slowly transferred off the Normandy. Lizbeth and James were saying their goodbyes outside the inner airlock doors on the Normandy.

"Take care of yourself Liz. I'd hate for anything more too happen to you." James said as Lizbeth smiled and nodded.

"I will. I'm in good hands James. I mean how safe can you possibly be with a Spectre in command, right?" Liz asked as James scoffed.

"I dunno, I hear they can get pretty down and dirty." James replied as Liz smiled and patted his cheek.

"In case you haven't noticed, I like down and dirty nowadays." Liz said with a wink as they leaned in and kissed. After a moment they separated.

"Be safe James." Lizbeth said as James nodded with a smile and entered the airlock where Julianna and Ledra stood waiting. The doors closed after a moment and the soft hum of the outer airlock doors was heard as the three crossed the boarding tunnel into the transport. Shortly after that, the boarding tunnels retracted and the two ships drifted away from each other for a moment before the Normandy's engines roared back to life and took off for the nearby Mass Relay to the Exodus Cluster.

* * *

Jane was feeding her fast metabolism again as Ashley exited the elevator and headed for the table.

"This seat taken?" Ash asked as she approached.

"Please." Jane said motioning to the empty chair in front of her as Ashley sat down, "I don't think we've had a chance to talk at all since we've met. You're Ashley, right?"

"Yep, that's me. I suppose you're going to give me the third degree since I'm pretty close to your brother and all huh?" Ashley asked as she ordered a mug of coffee and Jane shrugged.

"It would seem that I have an obligation to. And I would like to know more about the woman who's captured my brother's attention." Jane said as Ashley chuckled.

"Well, when comparing our pasts, there's not much that's different. We both moved around a lot, we both had a family member or two we weren't exactly close to, we both went through hardships, though you went through a lot more trauma then I did, there's no arguing that point." Ashley said as Jane shrugged.

"I heard doctor Chakwas mention a while ago that you once lived on Amaterasu, when did you live there?" Jane asked curiously.

"I personally didn't live there, my sisters did however and it was well after the blitz so chances are you never met any of them." Ashley said as Jane shrugged.

"Well, it never hurts to ask." Jane replied.

"True. My sisters and I are pretty close, only I don't get much of a chance to speak with them or send them letters nowadays since I joined up on the Normandy. But there was one little thing that happened last year that…" Ashley said as her voice trailed off with a grin on her face.

"That?" Jane asked adopting a similar grin.

"Well…let's just say it showed me how much your brother cares for his crew…and for me." Ashley said as Jane crossed her arms.

"Care to elaborate?" Jane asked as Ashley shrugged.

"Oh…why not…" She replied as she began "…You see it happened last year like I said. We were stopping at Terra Nova, under the preface of meeting up with one of Shepard's fellow Spectres…"

* * *

**1 year ago…**

The Normandy hovered in to dock at an Alliance Naval dock outside the main Colony. On board the Normandy, Operations Chief Williams approached the Airlock where Shepard and Kaiden stood waiting for her.

"Right on time Chief, you ready to go?" John asked as Ashley nodded.

"Ready as I'll ever be skipper. Are Wrex and T'Soni coming along?" Ashley asked as John shook his head.

"No, well, not with us at least. They plan on going into town with the R.O. to help him out with getting some new supplies. Lucky dog just got the Vendors license to that new biotics research and development firm." John explained.

"I thought you got it for him by using your Spectre status and paying the company rep five thousand credits?" Kaiden asked as John started whistling innocently as they headed out the airlock.

They passed through the docking area and into the naval base where an Alliance officer approached them.

"Captain Shepard, may I have a moment?" the man asked as Shepard shrugged and approached him.

"What can I do for you?" John asked.

"Well, You see it's rather sensitive, I have a few friends staying at the hotel downtown right now and I kind of made a promise to them I didn't think I could keep." The Officer explained.

"What kind of promise?" John asked curiously.

"Well I…ugh…I promised that I would arrange for you to meet with them. They want a group photo with you." The officer explained as Ashley gave him a disbelieving look.

"You made that promise to a bunch of strangers?" Ashley asked as the officer shook his head frantically.

"Not intentionally! It's the youngest one that frightens me; she's got a fierce right hook!" the Officer replied as Kaiden scoffed.

"You're intimidated by a woman?" Kaiden asked as Ashley cleared her throat indignantly, "Never mind."

"You don't know these women! They're tenacious, dangerous, insanely brilliant, yet gorgeous! They'll do anything to get what they want!" The Officer said with a panic stricken tone as Shepard gestured for him to stop.

"It's okay, I'll check it out…Williams, Alenko, you're with me." John said casually.

"They're in the penthouse suite at the Nova Nebula Hotel. And thank you again Captain!" the Officer said with a sigh of relief as the three walked off.

"Man, what sort of twisted relationship did that guy get into?" Ashley asked as they exited the naval base.

"We'll soon find out Williams, because there's the hotel right there." John said pointing at the towering hotel in front of them.

"They've got taste whoever they are." Ashley said as they crossed the street towards the hotel and entered the lobby. They stopped by the lounge as Shepard thought of something.

"You know what…it occurs to me that they might have the elevators all key locked." John thought as the two gave him a confused look.

"Huh?" Kaiden asked.

"I mean that you probably need a key to get to the penthouse level on the elevator, and I sincerely doubt that we want to take the stairs." John said as the other two nodded in agreement.

"So we go get the key from the front desk?" Ashley asked as John nodded.

"Wait here, I'll handle it." John said as the two shrugged and plopped down in a pair of chairs by the lounge as Shepard headed over to the front desk.

"I wonder what kind of mess that guy's gotten into. A group of intimidating women and all they want is a photo op with the Captain? It doesn't make sense." Kaiden said as Ashley shrugged.

"You've never had lasting relationship with a woman, have you Alenko?" Ashley asked as Kaiden gave her a frustrated glare.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaiden asked.

"I always wonder why you aren't hitting on all the girls on the Normandy…sure when the Captain has to go into Chora's Den on the Citadel to go get Wrex out, you'll hit on the dancers and the occasional waitress but you never even so much as flirt with the girls on the Normandy. Why is that Alenko?" Ashley prodded with an amused smirk.

"It's called fraternization Ash. Something you and the Captain don't have to worry about since he's a Spectre and can get away with it. We normal officers have to practice great restraint around our fellow officers…and I do not hit on the dancers or waitresses at Chora's Den." Kaiden argued as Shepard returned with a key card in hand.

"What's all the heated discussion about?" John asked as Ashley and Kaiden blinked.

"That was fast. What did you do, play the Spectre card right off the bat?" Ashley asked as she and Kaiden stood up.

"Pretty much, yeah." John said as they headed for the elevator. They finally entered the elevator and slid the key card into the slot above the floor buttons. The elevator doors closed and slowly started moving upwards. Ashley immediately drew her assault rifle and cocked it.

"Ash? What are you doing?" John asked concerned.

"Getting ready to deal with whatever insane women might be hiding behind the penthouse doors. If they're anything like the anime cosplay types that I've heard about…then we're going to need a whole armada to fight them off." Ashley said as John shook his head and lowered her rifle.

"Trust me on this Ash, you might be surprised." John said as Ashley gave him a confused look.

"What makes you say that?" Kaiden asked as the elevator doors opened, revealing a moderately long hallway leading to an eloquent looking pair of double doors at the end.

"Oh just a little something I've been working on for a few months now." John said as Ashley and Kaiden looked at each other with a "WTF" expression.

John casually rapped on the door in the "Shave and a haircut" pattern (Tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap…tap-tap) there was instantly a small commotion inside. Ashley instinctively put a hand near her pistol and Kaiden subtly charged his biotic powers. Suddenly the doors flew open, and there stood three young women, each with raven hair and a very similar skin tone like Ashley's.

"ASH!!!" the three squealed in unison as Ashley stood stunned for a moment.

"W-wha…Abby? Lynn? Sarah?! Is it really you?!" Ashley asked as the three nodded in unison. Ashley then grinned like a bandit and started vibrating shortly before glomping the women in a squeeing frenzy…they were her sisters.

"Oh my God! How did you guys get here?!" Ashley asked as the glomp ended. All three of the sisters looked straight at a smug looking Captain Shepard.

"Surprised?" John asked as Ashley gave him a stunned expression.

"You?! You did all this?" Ashley asked as John nodded.

"I felt bad that you had hardly seen your sisters since coming on board the Normandy so I wanted to do something special for you." John said as Ashley gave him a confused look.

"But what about the Spectre you're supposed to meet?" Ashley asked.

"What Spectre? As far as I know, the only Spectre on all of Terra Nova is me." John said as Ashley pointed a thumb over at Kaiden.

"Then what about him?" She asked.

"I had you convinced I was as clueless as you, didn't I?" Kaiden asked as John laughed.

"Kaiden found out about it and threatened to blow the surprise if he didn't get to come along. I got to admit his acting skills are more impressive than I had first thought." John said as each of Ashley's sisters gave leering looks at the biotic Staff Lieutenant.

"Then what about that officer down at the base?" Ashley asked.

"Who Mike? That's my boyfriend sis!" the taller of the sisters, Abby, said with a grin.

"You mean…you organized this whole thing?" Ashley asked as the shortest of the sisters, Sarah, spoke up.

"Well, it was his idea but he and I coordinated the whole thing." She said.

"Wait how did you get in contact with them? Oh wait duh, Spectre status." Ashley said as John shrugged.

"Guilty as charged." John said as Abby spoke up.

"He knew how tight knit we are so he and Sarah arranged this little get together. It took us some time in rearranging our schedules but we finally found a time that would work for each of us." She said as the final sister, Lynn, got in close to Shepard.

"Yeah, and boy have you hooked a real hunk sis." She said as Ashley shot her a warding look.

"Back off Lynn…" Ashley said as she walked up to Shepard, "…this one's mine."

Then she threw her arms around him and they kissed, receiving a chorus of oohs from each of the sisters.

"So…which of you three lovely ladies are single?" Kaiden asked as Lynn and Sarah both gave him leering looks.

* * *

**Back in the present…**

"I had the best time of my life that week. The five of us plus Kaiden, and Abby's boyfriend Mike stayed in the penthouse for that week of mandatory down time. Wrex and Liara joined us a few times, strange as it may seem, I think Lynn and Liara discovered a mutual appreciation for science…Lynn's always been the egg head. Frighteningly, however, I think Wrex found an admirer in Sarah." Ashley said with a shudder as Jane nearly fell out of her chair laughing.

"Oh wow! That was incredibly awesome!" Jane said as she wiped the tears from her eyes from both laughing and crying so hard.

"I've known from that point on that John and I are meant to be. To go through the trouble of having the whole ship go to Terra Nova just so I could see my sisters…that's a pretty good sign of how he rolls for those he cares about." Ashley said as Jane sighed dreamily.

"He's eventually going to ask the question you know…that's if he hasn't already." Jane said as Ashley shrugged.

"He hasn't yet, but he will. Alliance and Spectre duties kinda take a higher priority over the personal sometimes. I know that and I accept that. I'm a patient woman." Ashley said with a smile.

"Is that why you and John share the Captain's quarters?" Jane asked as her eyebrows jumped a couple times as Ashley blushed slightly and gave a smug smirk.

"Oh yeah…that's one reason." Ashley said as she then leaned over and saw Kaiden face palming at his post.

"Ash! Why do you insist on torturing my mind with these images?" Kaiden asked as Ashley grinned.

"Because I can, Staff Lieutenant ain't-getting-any." Ashley replied as Jane guffawed and fell out of her chair while Kaiden wished he could airlock himself.

"Ooh-Hoo-Hoo, you're sadistic!" Jane laughed as she picked herself up and sat back down in the chair.

"Hey you're pretty open minded when it comes to your brother's sleeping partners." Ashley said as Jane shrugged.

"Bah, I still hardly know my brother so it doesn't disturb me to hear about his love life like it would any ordinary brother and sister duo." Jane replied as she stood up and stretched, "Well I better see where Lizbeth and Liara are in the scheme of things."

"Hope you find out what your dad created." Ashley said as Jane headed for the med lab.

"Thanks Ash. Thanks for the chat." Jane said as she headed inside. Ashley then turned and gave Kaiden a sinister look.

"You want to know what I tell him in the mornings?" Ashley asked as Kaiden shuddered as he shook his head with a pleading look on his face. At the moment he was mentally debating whether or not he could plead guilty by reason of insanity at his court marshal for strangling a subordinate officer to death.

* * *

**Later…**

"Citadel Control, this is the SSV Normandy, requesting permission to land." Joker said as the Normandy approached the Citadel.

"_Roger that Normandy. Stand by for clearance." _A female flight controller replied.

"This flight controller sounds hot, don't you think Captain?" Joker asked as John gave a snicker.

"I've already got a girlfriend, thank you." John replied.

"I was just saying." Joker said with a shrug as Wrex sighed.

"She's probably turian…or salarian." Wrex said as Joker groaned.

"You just had to ruin it for me, didn't you big guy?" Joker asked with an annoyed scowl.

"_Citadel control to Normandy. Clearance to dock with the Citadel has been denied until proper ship wide decontamination procedures have been carried out. Please change your heading to the Scylla system nearby where decon stations are standing by for your arrival…I'm an asari by the way." _The flight controller replied as Joker gave Wrex a smug grin.

"See?" Joker said in an "I told you so," fashion as the krogan just shrugged and walked away, "We copy control, heading out to the Scylla system for decon…so what's your name angel?"

Shepard couldn't help but laugh as he walked away from the spectacle of Joker flirting with the Citadel Traffic Controller. What really made him laugh was when they found out later that Joker had scored a date with her that afternoon after decon.

The Normandy headed for a nearby system at FTL speeds and docked with a massive spaceship sized decontamination beam. Like the kind in the airlock only built to decontaminate entire spacecraft. The beam also affected the crew's skin and clothing, effectively decontaminating the entire ship, inside and out.

After that the Normandy headed straight for the Citadel and docked in a port adjacent to a much larger vessel of a slightly unfamiliar origin compared to the rest of the ships used by the Citadel races and their allies. Tali however recognized the ship straight off.

"It's the Rayya! My birth ship!" Tali exclaimed happily as Shepard realized the ship was the quarian emissary they had been expecting.

"Well then Tali'Zorah Vas Manchester, shall we greet the emissary?" John asked as he motioned politely to the airlock, allowing her to leave first followed shortly by the Shepard and Kaiden. Jane being left on the ship after remembering she had mentioned the five plus one joke on Feros.

As they exited the Normandy, they saw a slightly well built quarian male with a light red and white variation of Tali's own environmental suit but with an official looking red cape with a pattern similar to Tali's headdress embroidered on both the inside and outside. The visor on the quarian emissary's helmet was also a shade of light red like the rest of his suit. He was flanked by a pair of armed quarian guards in matching environmental suits but with different headdresses and a pair of different sigils on their left breast that signified their ranks.

Tali froze when she saw him, and John could clearly see her eyes widen from within her helmet.

"By my ancestors…" Tali said breathlessly, "…they sent him?!"

"Who is he Tali?" Shepard asked as Tali stood at attention and walked straight towards the emissary with her head held high. She stopped a couple feet in front of the emissary and saluted like a soldier would to a superior officer.

"Tali'Zorah vas Manchester, reporting for duty sir." Tali said as the emissary, who towered over her by at least a foot and a half, saluted back before throwing his arms around her in a hug.

"Ah Tali! My Tali! You are certainly a sight for these sore old eyes of mine." The emissary said as Shepard and Alenko approached.

"Your eminence, I am Captain John Shepard, SSV Normandy, Citadel Special Tactics and Recon. It is an honor to make your acquaintance sir." John said as he and Alenko saluted. The emissary saluted back.

"Captain, I have long looked forward to finally meeting you in person. To finally meet the man who helped Tali out on her pilgrimage and helped deliver a decisive blow to the geth swarms…you sir, are both a legend and a hero of my people, and you have the eternal gratitude of the clan Zorah." The emissary said as he humbly bowed to the Spectre.

"But where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself; I am Admiral Talyn'Zorah Vas Rayya, Admiral of the Zorah clan, Captain of the Rayya, and father of this little space angel right here." The admiral said with a hand on Tali's shoulder as John and Kaiden froze.

"Wait…you mean that Tali is your-" John asked as the admiral nodded.

"That's right…Tali, is my daughter."

* * *

**End Chapter 12.**

I just had to include Tali's father. I mean you can't have the quarian flotilla without Tali's father can you?


	13. The Emissary & The Shadow Broker

John and Kaiden were stunned. The quarian emissary was none other than Tali's father.

"I never thought that we would ever meet you, Admiral Vas Rayya sir." Shepard said as the admiral shrugged.

"Nor did I think I would ever meet you. But please, call me Talyn. I only require my subordinates to call me by my rank." The admiral said as John nodded.

"I think I can remember that." John said, "But we should be heading to the Presidium, I'll wager that the council is going to want to meet with you straight off."

"I agree. Let's not keep the council waiting shall we?" Talyn said as they headed for the elevator.

As the elevator reached the C-Sec academies, there was an armed escort of C-Sec officers standing by in a pair of straight parallel lines, keeping a group of reporters back. Somehow word had been leaked to the press that the quarian admiral was going to be there. Ignoring the plethora of questions and camera flashes, Shepard led the admiral and his entourage to the elevator leading to the presidium.

Finally they entered the elevator and started riding up to the Presidium.

"We here at Citadel radio, would like to extend a special welcome to the emissary from the quarian flotilla. We hope your stay is long and enjoyable." The radio announcer in the elevator announced as the elevator continued moving and Shepard face palmed with embarrassment.

"I don't know how they found out about your arrival admiral. I thought it was supposed to be a secret." John said as the Admiral just chuckled.

"It makes no difference Captain. It's a problem I'm used to. Being a member of the Admiralty board is a position of relative popularity amongst the flotilla, so I'm used to this kind of treatment…I don't like it but I'm used to it." The admiral replied as the elevator reached the top where two turian C-Sec officers and Executor Pallin stood waiting for them.

"Your eminence…the council sent me personally to ensure that you reach the Council Chambers safely." Pallin said as the admiral nodded.

"Then by all means, let's not keep the council waiting." The Admiral said as they escorted him through the presidium towards the council tower. The Admiral looked around in slight awe as they passed through the splendorous décor and scenery of the presidium. He then looked across the lake where the Consort's chambers were.

"I wonder…does that lovely asari woman still serve as the consort?" the admiral asked as Tali gave her father a bemused glare.

"Sha'ira? Yeah she's still here. Why do you ask?" John asked as the admiral sighed.

"Ah, she was here when I was on my pilgrimage, I was quite smitten with her. I wonder if she remembers me at all." Talyn said as Tali silently wanted to bash her visor in.

"Father, you cannot be serious? The Consort?!" Tali asked as the admiral laughed.

"No-no Tali my dear. It is not what you believe. When I was on my pilgrimage, I had difficulty trying to find something of value to bring back to the fleet. I encountered Sha'ira seemingly by accident and she gave me some advice on what to look for. Her advice didn't make much sense until I found it." The Admiral explained.

"If you don't mind my asking…what was your gift from your pilgrimage?" John asked.

"It was a plant that once grew on our homeworld. I was permitted to take a few of its seeds back to the flotilla, that's also coincidentally how I met Tali's mother. She was a botanist researching the plant life back on our homeworld." The Admiral said with a sad sigh as they entered the elevator to the council tower.

"You must have led an incredible life Admiral." John said as the Admiral shrugged.

"It's not been as spectacular as yours. For instance I haven't even seen a live geth in person, but only in old archival footage and images of the geth before they rebelled four hundred years ago." The Admiral replied as the elevator reached the top floor. The Admiral was escorted to the Council podium where the council stood waiting at their podiums.

"The emissary has arrived, this meeting of the Council may now commence." The asari councilwoman said with a nod.

"The quarians have been granted this audience at the request of Captain Shepard here. Given the times and the current circumstances, we would have been foolish to have refused the Spectre's request." The salarian councilman said.

"Tell us Admiral, what do you know of a race of advanced synthetic machines known as the Reapers?" the turian councilman asked.

"The Reapers? You mean the dreadnaught sized synthetic warship that led the geth fleets into battle against the Citadel two years ago? Then yes I have heard of it, but I do not know more, other than the fact that it was called Sovereign and enslaved unwitting organics through unknown means of indoctrination. Though it what my daughter informed me upon her return from her Pilgrimage." The admiral replied.

"Then you know a slight degree of how serious this matter is to the galaxy. Sovereign was only a vanguard of the Reapers. The rest of them are waiting in dark space for the signal to begin a galaxy wide mission of mass genocide. No race would be safe, not even the quarians even with your mobility." Councilman Anderson explained as the admiral listened closely.

"I understand. We saw recordings of Sovereign's might and power during its attack on the citadel. My people recognize the danger of it, but we thought that Sovereign was either an ancient Prothean warship that was discarded or the geth's flagship. My people are currently preparing to lead a full scale invasion of the Perseus Veil and retake our homeworld from the geth. Hopefully it will help remove a potential ally for these, Reapers." The admiral said as the four council members looked at each other with a curious look.

They remained silent for a moment as if considering their options.

"We have no say in what the quarian flotilla does with itself. If you wish to fight the geth then that's your decision. But given the circumstances I believe it would be foolish of the council not to aid the quarians in their efforts to remove any potential ally the Reapers may find by destroying the geth." The turian councilman said as Anderson nodded in agreement.

"I agree councilor. The destruction of the geth would be a significant step in uniting the galaxy against the Reaper threat. It would also provide a considerable morale boost to the men and women of all the involved races who lost loved ones at the hands of the geth, to hear that the very machines that murdered their loved ones are nothing more than a bad memory." Anderson said as the salarian councilman sighed.

"While I can see the logic behind going to war to exterminate the remaining geth, need I remind the council that the quarians haven't had an embassy here since the Geth Wars four hundred years ago? It would tell the other races, such as the volus, the elcor, and the hanar, that we would put the priorities of a non-council race that does not hold an embassy on the citadel over their priorities. It would be...oh what was that coy little human term Anderson used during lunch last week…cutting off our nasal passages despite our face?" the salarian councilman said as Anderson pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration at the butchering of another human term by an alien.

"The councilman does raise a valid point. The quarians do not have an embassy here in the citadel. It would truly be a case of alienating the races that do hold an embassy here. I am at a loss for what to recommend." The asari councilwoman said with her arms crossed.

"If I may address the council?" Shepard said as the four council members looked at the Spectre curiously, "I think I may have a compromise. Give the quarians an embassy, then that removes your reason for hesitation and we can aid the quarians in their fight against the geth…that way, the quarians regain their lost Citadel ally status, the geth get destroyed, and we're another step closer to destroying the Reapers…everyone wins."

"Shepard has a point. If the quarians were allowed to have an embassy here again, then we won't have the issue of having the other races fuss over the citadel assisting the quarians against the geth." The turian councilman said as Talyn blinked in surprise.

"The quarians would be more than honored to have an embassy here again. Especially if it means we gain Citadel support in undoing our four century old mistake and destroying the geth." The admiral said as the council nodded.

"It is settled then. For the first time since the geth wars, we proudly welcome the quarian race amongst the eternally open arms of the Citadel." The asari councilwoman said amidst the cheers of the gallery of onlookers.

"We shall assemble a fleet of Citadel forces to assist the quarians in destroying the geth and retaking the Perseus Veil." The turian councilman said as he looked squarely at Shepard, "As a Spectre of the Citadel and a Captain of the Alliance navy, will you, John Shepard, lead the Citadel forces into combat on our behalf?"

"With respect sir…I believe there is someone else better qualified to lead the attacks. I nominate Fleet Admiral Hackett of the Fifth Fleet to lead the Citadel forces." Shepard suggested as the turian councilman pondered.

"I must confess that I do have a large amount of respect for the Admiral for his command in leading the Fifth Fleet against the geth during the battle of the Citadel. He seems to be the perfect choice." The councilman said as the asari councilwoman nodded.

"That he is. However will you be present during the attack Captain?" the councilwoman asked Shepard who nodded in response.

"I wouldn't miss this for anything." John said as the salarian councilman gave a nod.

"Then go ahead with the Admiral to the Flotilla in the Horse Head Nebula and be preparing for war. It will take some time for us to assemble the fleet and it will give you and the quarians some time to discuss strategy." The salarian councilman said as John saluted.

"Yes sir!" Shepard said as the asari councilwoman smiled.

"Very well, this meeting of the council is adjourned." The councilwoman said as the gallery of onlookers applauded the decisions made that day.

"I must say Shepard, that this was not at all the greeting I was expecting from the council. Times must be dire indeed for the council to be more forgiving and willing to accept us back into their ranks." The Admiral said as they headed back down towards the elevator.

"Times change and wounds heal. The Council had a major wakeup call when Sovereign attacked two years ago. Since then everything we believed about the Citadel and the Mass Relays being Prothean design was proven false. The Reapers built everything to carry out their sick and twisted goal of repeated genocide. That's what's shaken the Council to the core and made them see the reality of what could happen if something isn't done and soon." John replied as the Admiral nodded solemnly.

"Yes but I wonder what will happen when or if the Reapers are destroyed. Will we return to our outcast ways? Will we even still exist?" The Admiral asked as they rounded the fountain at the base of the stairs.

"We'll find out Admiral. As long as an organic race draws breath in this galaxy, we still survive." John said as the Admiral nodded and they entered the elevator.

* * *

**Meanwhile in the Presidium…**

"You're sure this is where this 'Barla Von' fella works?" Jane asked as Liara nodded. They were standing outside the volus's Bank.

"Yes. He is a banker officially but he acts as an agent of the Shadow Broker." Liara replied as Wrex humphed.

"Barla Von is a wise man. If anyone can help find information through the Shadow Broker, it's him." Wrex said as Jane stood straight up.

"Then let's go see what he can find out about my father's past." Jane said as they entered the bank. They could see the stout banker hard at work behind his desk. He paused when he noticed the three entering.

"Ah, the earth-clan female known as Shepard. The Shadow Broker is always pleased to hear news of one of his favorite clients." Barla Von said through his mask.

"Well his favorite client needs to use some of his services." Jane said as Barla Von nodded.

"Yes, what information are you seeking?" Barla Von asked.

"I need to know who my father had connections to. I found some of his old research on Elysium and a lot of it is encrypted. But when we tried to leave with the research, a bunch of goons working for a group called Cerberus tried to take it from me." Jane explained as Barla Von stood pondering.

"My employer knows a great deal about your father's work. He knows because of information taken from several files that were…'acquired' from within Cerberus's own databanks." Von said as Jane looked surprised.

"Wait…my father worked for Cerberus?" Jane asked perplexed.

"No. You may recall that your father had another assistant. An earth-clan female named Deena Bell?" Von asked as Jane clinched her fists in anger.

"I knew that tramp was no good." Jane growled.

"What about her?" Wrex asked the volus.

"She was deployed by Cerberus to investigate Dr. Shepard's research into an unknown formula that the leaders of Cerberus wanted badly. I say an unknown formula because that information has not yet been acquired by my employer." Von said as Jane gave him a confused look.

"So you're saying that my father was researching something Cerberus wanted? Does the Shadow Broker have any ideas what it could be?" Jane asked as Von shook his head.

"No. I possess only theories without evidence to back them up. Only the Cerberus execs would know." Von replied as Jane fished out five thousand credits.

"Tell me who they are and where I can find them. I'll rip the answers from them if I have to." Jane said as Von gave a delighted sigh.

"Ah, the Shadow Broker told me to predict this. I shall give you their locations for free. They crossed the line recently when they were angered by the fact that the Shadow Broker refused to give them the location of your father's secret lab and thus turned a few of his agents into lab animals. The Shadow Broker does not appreciate having disgruntled clients killing his agents." Von said as he activated an Omni-tool and transmitted the coordinates to Jane's Omni-tool.

"That was dumb. No-one crosses the Shadow Broker like that." Wrex said as Von nodded in agreement.

"I agree. That is why I prefer working here on the citadel in the Presidium. Less chance of getting killed…that and the consort is only a couple doors down." Barla Von said with an implied smile that made Jane shudder.

"Ooh, I did not need to think about that." Jane groaned.

"I remember when you were removing the contents of the bag from your father's lab, that there was a metal container with biohazard stripes printed on it. Perhaps that was what your father discovered." Liara said as Jane shrugged.

"It would make infinitely more sense to find out what was so damned important that Cerberus would…wait a minute…What IS Cerberus anyway?" Jane asked as Von shrugged.

"Cerberus is…or was an Alliance backed research and development firm. It went rogue several years ago and has been wanted ever since. Captain Shepard has dealt them quite a blow by destroying several of their labs across the galaxy. The Alliance wants them destroyed for multiple reasons, namely the murder of one of their Fleet Admirals as a start." Von explained as Jane pondered.

"Then we'll definitely be paying the Cerberus execs a visit when we get the chance." Jane said as Wrex gave a determined smile.

"If it leads to a fight, then I'll be very happy." Wrex said as Liara rolled her eyes.

"Thank you for your time Barla Von. I'll be sure to let the Shadow Broker know anything I find out from the execs." Jane said as they turned and left.

"Good day to you Earth-clan." Von said as the three left the bank quietly.

* * *

**Outside the Normandy…**

John and Jane's parties regrouped outside the boarding ramp to the Normandy and finished explaining the quarian situation.

"The quarians plan on electing their ambassador after the geth has been destroyed. The Normandy will escort the Rayya back to the Flotilla and wait for the Alliance fleet to arrive while planning the assault." John said as Jane nodded.

"Sounds good to me." Jane said as Wrex cleared his throat.

"Shepard, tell him about our meeting with Barla Von." Wrex said as John gave the krogan a confused look, then he looked at Jane with the same look.

"We went to see Barla Von, I assume you know who he is?" Jane asked as John nodded, "Well, he told us about some of Dad's past. Apparently one of Dad's former assistants, a tramp named Deena Bell, was working for Cerberus in looking for whatever it was Dad was researching."

"So he had an assistant that was a spy huh?" John asked as he thought for a moment, "Was this Bell woman on Elysium during the blitz?"

"Probably. I saw her at dad's clinic earlier that morning. The Blitz happened that evening so chances are that she was still there when the attack happened. Why do you ask?" Jane asked.

"It'll give us something to look into once the situation with the quarians is dealt with." John replied as they boarded the Normandy.

"Liara, Lizbeth, and I are going to go see what was in that strange box I packed back at the lab. It might hold what it was he was making." Jane said as the disinfection beams activated.

"Why didn't you look in there before?" John asked as Jane rolled her eyes.

"Because I'm an idiot and didn't think to look in there." Jane replied as John laughed. As they entered the Normandy John turned to notice Joker was surprisingly not in his usual post.

"Where did Joker get to?" John asked as Pressley approached with a bemused expression on his face.

"He's still on his date with that asari flight controller." Pressley said as both Shepards rolled their eyes.

"Randy dog I'll give 'em that." John muttered as he headed back to his quarters.

* * *

**End Chapter 13.**


	14. Forgotten Faces & the Flotilla

A/N: First let me apologize for my extended absence from keeping the story updated but for a while I was dealing with some serious writers block with this story. But with Mass Effect 2 coming out soon, my muse for this story has flared to life. I'll be using characters and elements from ME2 though I don't plan on making this a tie in.

* * *

After thirty minutes of waiting for Joker to return from his date (With a red handprint across his face) the Normandy was finally on its way to the Horse Head Nebula with the Rayya flying close behind. Garrus was busy checking the Mako's systems as Kaiden entered from the elevator.

"Any word on who that mystery woman was?" Kaiden asked as Garrus paused and turned to the L2 Biotic with an arched eyebrow.

"Hello to you too Lt. Alenko. But yes, C-Sec transmitted a copy of her ExoGeni Personnel file a few minutes after I submitted my report." Garrus replied as Kaiden breathed a partial sigh of relief.

"Can I see the file?" He asked as Garrus stepped away from and motioned to the monitor.

"It's all yours. I was about to eat something anyway." Garrus said as he headed for the elevator.

"Thanks Garrus." Kaiden said as he approached the monitor. He found the file and opened it. Less than a few seconds later Kaiden froze in horror as he read the file.

"No…oh lord no." he said breathlessly as an eavesdropping Wrex took notice.

"Something wrong Alenko?" Wrex asked as Ashley overheard from her post. They both approached the stunned Kaiden Alenko.

"What's got him frozen like this?" Ashley asked as Wrex peered at the screen over Alenko's shoulder.

"Looks like a file." Wrex said as Ashley looked over Kaiden's other shoulder. Without warning Kaiden bolted to the elevator and called it down to the engineering level.

"Where's the fire Kaiden?" Ashley asked as Kaiden remained silent. She noticed he was sweating buckets as he entered the elevator.

"Does the woman on the screen look familiar to you Williams?" Wrex asked as Ashley shook her head.

"Nope. Not a bell." Ashley replied as she headed back towards her post. Wrex shrugged and headed for his usual corner also.

In the Captains Quarters, John was reading up on the quarians just as he heard his door open.

"Captain Shepard!!!" Kaiden shouted as he bounded inside.

"DAH!!! KAIDEN! KNOCK BEFORE YOU COME IN!" Shepard berated angrily. He then paused to calm himself before he sighed.

"Okay…from the top Kaiden. Nice and slow." Shepard said as Kaiden nodded and sat down.

"Okay. Remember the woman that the batarians got away with?" Kaiden asked as Shepard nodded, "I didn't know if it was her or not. I had a hunch but I had no idea it was her. The last time I saw her was when I was fifteen!"

"Who was she Kaiden?" John asked impatiently.

"It's been so long. Even so, how did I not recognize her? And now those damned batarians have her! DAMN IT!" Kaiden growled as he slammed his fist down on the table in the room.

"That does it…TEN HUT!" John ordered as Kaiden instinctively stood to attention.

"Who is this woman you keep babbling about Alenko?!" John asked with his arms crossed.

"It was Rahna sir. The girl from Jump Zero." Kaiden replied as John froze then sank back into his chair slowly.

"Rahna…as in the girl-who-you-were-smitten-with-but-now-she-fears-you-because-of-your-biotic-powers…that Rahna?" John asked as Kaiden nodded and Shepard sat back in thought.

"This complicates matters. Balak has her and he hates humans…however I think I may have a contact in his ranks." John said as he stood up.

"Sir?" Kaiden asked confused.

"Follow me." John said as he left his quarters with Kaiden in tow.

* * *

**  
Earlier in the Med lab…**

"Here it is." Jane said as she lifted the silver metal box with yellow and black hazard stripe decals around it.

"Whatever is in that box is probably the culmination of all of your father's research." Liara said as Jane nervously sighed and nodded.

She set the box on the counter and dialed in the keypad combination lock.

"What kinda code is that?" Lizbeth asked as she watched Jane put in the numbers 042.

"It's the answer to life, the universe, and everything…haven't you ever read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?" Jane asked as Lizbeth shook her head.

"No but I've heard of it." Lizbeth said as Liara shook her head in confusion.

"I fail to see how the numbers zero, four, and two are the answers to life, the universe, and everything." Liara said confused.

"Once again the human phrase is lost by an alien." Jane muttered under her breath.

"It's a book Liara, science fiction. It's good you should read it sometime but it might be a little hard to understand for some people." Jane replied as she undid the latches and opened the container slowly. All that was inside was a vial of a strange brown and bubbly liquid.

"I'll bet this is what dad found." Jane said as she pulled out a syringe and stuck it into the needle sized port on the top of the vial. She drew some of the liquid into the syringe and placed the rest of the vial back into the box before locking it back up.

"Let's put this through the medical scanner and see what's in this stuff." Lizbeth said as she placed the entire syringe inside a device that looked slightly like a fancy coffee maker and pressed a button, causing the device to start humming as it started working.

"Well…all there is left to do for now is wait for the results to come back on this thing." Jane said as she yawned, "I don't know about you ladies but I'm going to grab some rack time."

"I believe I'll join you." Liara said as Jane paused and gave her a curious yet amused look, "I meant in the pod adjacent to yours."

"I know…I just like busting your chops." Jane giggled as they headed out the doors.

"What does this term mean…busting your chops?" Liara asked as Jane laughed.

"It's just a term for I was teasing you." Jane replied as they walked out the door to the infirmary, leaving Lizbeth alone in the lab.

Lizbeth sat quietly in thought. She didn't know whether or not she should continue with the translations of Dr. Shepard's notes without Jane or Captain Shepard present. She eventually shrugged and headed out the door to get some sleep herself.

* * *

**  
In the Conference room…**

John and Kaiden stood at the FTL communications system; it had been almost a full hour since their conversation in Shepard's quarters, and they were waiting for something. Finally an orange hued hologram of a batarian appeared.

"_Who, in the name of my ancestors, calls me at this hour of the…"_ the batarian growled with his arms crossed before he recognized the Spectre, _"…oh…it's you…the Human from the asteroid. What do __you__ want?"_

"Charn…it's been a while." John said casually as Balak's former second-in-command gave a snort.

"_How did you contact me human?"_ Charn asked curiously.

"I have a relative who happens to be a loyal customer of the Shadow Broker. I got your personal comm. number through one of his agents. I have a bit of a proposition for you Charn." Shepard said as Charn arched a vertical pair of eyebrows.

"_You? A human from the Alliance? What business could you possibly want with me? More importantly, why would I want to do business with you? You failed to keep your end of the bargain and kill Balak. My men and I were lucky to get away from there before Balak escaped."_ Charn growled.

"Balak is clever, and plans ahead. He knew that I was coming for him and prepared a trap where I had to make a tough choice. I could either let him go and spare the lives of the hostages or kill him instead. I chose the former because I couldn't just let him murder the lives of those innocents. But I have a greater reason to see his head thrust onto a spike…I have a proposal that will solve both of our problems." John said as Charn silently growled in frustration and motioned for Shepard to carry on.

"There is a human woman on the slave blocks, either fresh on the market or recently sold, that I want you to purchase for me. In exchange, I give you my word that I'll kill Balak the next time I see him, and you can have everything that's his, with the exception of any slaves he might own." John offered as Charn scratched his "chin" in thought for a moment.

"_What is this woman's name, human?"_ Charn asked finally as Shepard adopted an entrepreneur type smirk.

"I'm sending you all the relevant data regarding her name, appearance, and age. I'll pay you back for her when we meet after Balak is killed." John said as Charn gave an annoyed sigh.

"_Very well human. I look forward to hearing of Balak's death at your hands human."_ Charn said as his hologram vanished.

"Are you sure that was a good idea? Trusting that creep to free Rahna from slavery?" Kaiden asked as John stood motionless.

"It's worth a shot. Besides, from what I've read about Charn & Balak's partnership, there's been no love lost between the two. They despise each other and want to see the other eliminated." John said as Kaiden sighed.

"Such is the way of the Terminus Systems…survival of the fittest." Kaiden said as he headed for the door, disheartened.

"We'll get her back Kaiden…I promise you." John said as Kaiden paused at the open door for a moment, before slowly walking out and towards the staircase.

* * *

**  
Later…**

The Normandy emerged from the Mass Relay to the Horse Head Nebula with the Rayya close behind. Directly ahead sat a fleet of unimaginable size…it was the Quarian Flotilla at its finest.

"Rayya this is the Normandy…your friends aren't going to shoot at us right?" Joker asked as the Normandy slowed down, allowing the considerably slower and larger Rayya to pass by them.

"_Do not worry Normandy. The Flotilla was informed in transit that we were on our way with you. They will not fire upon you." _A young quarian male voice replied over the comms.

"Ok just checking." Joker replied as John stood amazed at the sight of the Flotilla.

"Take us in close Joker…nice and slow." John said as Joker nodded in confirmation.

"Look at that, I've never seen so many ships before!" Ashley exclaimed as Jane blinked.

"Ditto sister." Jane replied.

"The Flotilla is so far the largest recorded fleet of space faring vessels in history…but seeing it and hearing about it are both very different things." Garrus said in awe. Even Wrex was impressed.

The Normandy pulled alongside one of the warships on the outer edges of the fleet and both extended boarding shafts.

"Okay, out of courteously to the quarians, we're going in full armor. Helmets will be set to full mask." John said as he donned his helmet which quickly formed into the full mask over his nose and mouth so only his eyes could be seen through the visor. Tali, Jane, and Ashley each followed suit as they exited into the airlock. John paused before the outer airlock door opened and hit the button that activated the decontamination beam.

After that, they slowly and cautiously crossed the shaft towards the quarian vessel. As they approached, the airlock opened as a small swarm of armed quarian guards ran towards them and surrounded them.

"Your weapons, humans." The captain said to Shepard who nodded understandingly and handed over his pistol, sniper rifle, and the bandoleer with his grenades to the guards. He had stopped carrying the assault rifle and shotgun after Saren's defeat. Ashley begrudgingly surrendered her weapons. Jane surrendered her pistol as well. Tali was removing her shotgun and pistol but the quarian captain stopped her.

"Zorah Vas Manchester, you do not need to disarm yourself. You are quarian, we trust you." The Captain said as he gave a glare towards Captain Shepard through his mask.

"If you disarm my friends, then you disarm me as well." Tali said as she handed the Captain her weapons.

"As you wish. Follow me but keep your hands to yourselves and your breath masks on." The Captain said as he led the group through the vessel, receiving looks of awe and disbelief from the masked quarians as they passed.

"I thought your people would remove their helmets when on board their ships?" Ashley asked.

"Not in a case such as this. It's been a longstanding tradition that when outsiders are about to come aboard, that they must keep their helmets on to prevent the spread of diseases or any sort of virus that one would try to spread to my people." Tali explained.

"Makes sense. Were the situations reversed, we'd probably do the same thing." John said as they were led into a room with two armed guards on either side of the door. Inside, was a long table with official looking decor where Tali's father, Admiral Vas Torrent, and three other quarians in official looking garb but without military uniforms or symbols of any sort.

"Please. Be seated." A female at the head of the table said as the four sat down at the chairs provided for them.

"Now that the representatives from the Citadel have arrived…let us begin planning our strategy." Admiral Vas Torrent said as the doors to the room closed and locked.

* * *

**  
Back on the Normandy…**

Liara was sitting alone in the lab as she examined the results from the analysis of the strange drug they had found. As she examined the data, the door behind her opened and Kaiden entered.

"Lt. Alenko. Is there something I can do for you?" Liara asked curiously as the lieutenant entered.

"Actually I was wondering if we could…talk." Kaiden said as he sat down backwards on a chair.

"Regarding?" Liara asked.

"Regarding Jane. I'm getting some mixed signals here and I'm not sure that I'm reading them right." Kaiden said as Liara gave him a confused look.

"I was not aware that she was in possession of a personal transmitter." Liara said as Kaiden face palmed.

"No Liara, it's a human expression. Essentially I don't know if she's interested in me or not. She keeps flirting with me, toying with my mind. It's strange. But I've noticed that she keeps giving you these…looks." Kaiden said as Liara was now even more confused.

"When you say interested, do you mean as a potential romantic partner?" Liara asked as Kaiden nodded.

"And these, looks, as you call them…what are they exactly?" Liara asked.

"Well…uh…the looks…They're looks of uh…desire, uh…interest. You know…romantic?" Kaiden asked as Liara immediately realized what Kaiden was saying and looked away slightly with her cheeks turning a slight shade of red.

"I hadn't realized that she had been giving me, 'the looks.' I must confess that I am attracted to her to some extent. No I tell a lie, I am attracted to her to a great extent. She is intelligent, very knowledgeable of the physiology of other species including my own, she is a very powerful biotic, she possesses a charm and grace about the medical field that few notice, she has lived a torturous existence which endears me towards her, and she does possess a certain degree of physical structure that appeals to my…desires." Liara explained.

"Do you even know if she uh…leans that direction?" Kaiden asked as Liara gave him another confused look, "Right, human term, uh…do you even know if she prefers women over men?"

"I am uncertain. But she has mentioned that she has had male companionship before. By companionship I mean a potential mate…a friend who is a boy. But whether it was romantic or not I am uncertain." Liara replied.

"I see. Then we shall just have to wait and see who she prefers. Whether it's me or you." Kaiden said as Liara cocked her head to one side with a curious expression.

"What of your friend Rahna? Aren't you concerned about her? Wouldn't you prefer to be with her when we find her?" Liara asked.

"To tell you the truth, I really don't know. Last time I saw her she was frightened of me. She might turn and run in fear of me. But Jane…Jane's not afraid of me, she's not afraid of anything I don't think. She's been to hell and back and she could probably never get scared. I guess it's that fearless spirit that drives me to her." Kaiden said.

"It would seem that her past has indeed attracted both of us towards her…but she must make a choice. She may not be attracted to either of us and just merely toys with us as you said…but I for one do not believe that she simply toys with either of us. I believe that she might have genuine feelings for one or both of us. But we should not talk of this while she is not present; I feel it is doing her a disservice to talk about her behind her back." Liara said as Kaiden sighed and nodded.

"Agreed. I better get back to my post." Kaiden said as Liara nodded.

"And I must return to my analysis. She asked me personally to examine the results while she was away on the quarian vessel." Liara said as Kaiden shrugged.

"Anything of interest?" he asked.

"Only that it appears to be a nerve gas of sorts. Instead it specifically targets a specific cell and destroys it. What this cell is I do not yet know. I do know so far that the gas is not lethal or even harmful to humans, asari, or turians." Liara explained.

"Curious. Do you think it's designed to target a specific species?" Kaiden asked.

"Perhaps…but which species it is, I am unsure of at the moment." Liara said as Kaiden nodded.

"Okay then. I'll be getting back to my post then." Kaiden said as he walked out the door.

* * *

**  
End Chapter 14**

Having Charn appear has been in the works for a while. I just finally decided to implement him.

If you have an idea of what the liquid in the vial is, I politely ask that you don't say it in your review.


	15. Ghosts of the Past

After what had seemed like hours, Shepard, Jane, Tali, and Ashley finally returned to the Normandy from the quarian vessel.

"So how'd it go?" Joker asked as the four entered from the airlock.

"Command staff meeting in the communications room. You too Joker." Shepard replied as Joker shrugged.

A few minutes later the command staff of the Normandy was gathered in the communications room with the holograms of the Council present as well.

"The plan is simple. The Normandy, using her stealth tech will recon the geth fleet to determine their numbers and then endeavor to slip a team of insurgents onto the quarian's capital planet to gather Intel on their ground forces…which are expected to be pretty high." Shepard explained as the crew and councilmen listened intently.

"After the Normandy drops off the recon team, she's going to have to make a b-line out of the system before she has to vent the IES systems. Once that's done she'll come back with the systems active again and receive the data that the surface recon team has collected. The team will then endeavor to stay out of sight from the geth until the fleet arrives. The quarians have given expressed permission for the use of orbital bombardments and tactical nuclear devices to wipe out the geth on the surface." Shepard added.

"Getting through to the planet will be the hard part. The veil is notoriously hard to navigate but the quarians have given us the latest astronavigation charts to help us out." Shepard finished.

"What of the quarian's non-combat vessels? Where will they go?" the salarian councilman asked curiously.

"They have requested permission to send them to the Citadel or at least the Serpent Nebula itself for protection." Shepard replied as the councilmember's looked at each other in thought, the turian and Anderson giving a nod before the asari councilwoman spoke.

"The Citadel would be honored to have the quarians present. It will represent our newfound and restored trust in one another." The asari councilwoman explained with an approving nod.

"Then can the quarians count on Citadel military assistance in the battle?" Shepard asked as the turian councilman nodded.

"We've already discussed that and they do have our full support. Recent and discreetly placed surveys throughout the Citadel show that most people don't care how we do it, just so long as the geth are destroyed." The turian councilman explained.

"The quarians will be relieved to hear that." Shepard said as Anderson nodded.

"I'll bet they will be. Admiral Hackett and the Fifth fleet will be on their way to the Horse Head Nebula where he and the quarian admiralty will discuss the tactics to use with the provided intelligence. Have you chosen your recon team yet Shepard?" Anderson asked as John nodded.

"Not yet, I'm doing it on a volunteer basis so far. Tali was the first to volunteer though." Shepard replied as Anderson nodded.

"Okay then Shepard. You know what to do so good luck." Anderson said as he and the council's holograms fizzled away.

"Nice to finally see politics actually being of help for a change." Ashley said with a wry smile.

"I'm still looking for volunteers. Anyone interested in geth counting?" Shepard asked as Wrex raised his hand.

"When you say counting..." Wrex said as John shook his head.

"I mean actually counting their numbers, not your kill tally." John replied as Wrex lowered his hand dejectedly.

"I could give it a shot." Jane said as John gave her a concerned look.

"No offence sis, but you're not quite experienced enough for me to feel comfortable bringing you along. We will be walking into a war zone mind you." Shepard replied as Garrus raised his hand.

"I would like to volunteer. I've had plenty of experience in sneaking around for a few undercover assignments during my time in C-Sec." Garrus explained as Shepard nodded.

"Okay that's Garrus and Tali…anyone else?" Shepard asked as Kaiden raised his hand.

"I know some things about stealth. I used to sneak out of my quarters at Jump Zero to see Rahna and I never got caught." Kaiden said as John smirked and nodded.

"That's four…and that should be enough. Okay then, let's get prepped, Joker set a course for the Perseus Veil." John explained as Joker nodded and wheeled out to the bridge. Soon everyone but John and Jane were left in the communications room.

"I hope you're not mad that I said no." John said as Jane gave a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Forget about it, I understand your reasons. And you're right, I'm not experienced enough to do this sort of mission. Just be careful out there. I don't want my brother, who I've only met up with recently, going and getting himself killed out there." Jane replied as Shepard smiled.

"Thanks sis. It means a lot." John said as he headed out the door to suit up.

* * *

Soon the Normandy had passed through the Mass Relay on the way to the Perseus Veil. The crew was keeping to themselves for the most part as they contemplated what would happen when they reached the Veil.

Jane was in the lab going over the results of the scan on the mysterious formula as Lizbeth endeavored to decipher Dr. Shepard's notes. Liara was currently eating something in the galley.

"How curious. We've now ruled out elcor, hanar, and volus, from the list of effected species for this stuff. But I still don't know what exactly it's supposed to target in the subject's bloodlines." Jane said as Lizbeth shrugged.

"You said that there was an OSD with a recording from a camera microscope right? Maybe we should take a look at it." Lizbeth suggested as Jane reached in the large bag and pulled out an OSD and plugged it into the computer. She then brought up the video file that started playing a looping video of a number of unidentified cells breaking apart and disintegrating.

"Now why do those cells look familiar? I've seen cells with that particular shape before." Lizbeth said as Jane arched a curious eyebrow and the door opened.

"Because they're salarian." Dr. Chakwas said as she entered.

"Doc?! You know salarian cells by how they appear?!" Jane asked perplexed.

"I am qualified to treat a variety of different alien species. Asari, turian, salarian, krogan…practically any council allied race…except for the quarians however. Their physiology hasn't been studied since they first left the citadel. But those are clearly genetically altered salarian cells." Dr. Chakwas explained.

"But we ruled out salarians as an effected species already. The simulation didn't do anything. The cells just sat dormant." Jane replied.

"From what I learned in medical school, the salarians usually look to create medical cures by taking their own cells and engineering them to eradicate any particular diseased cell. It works the same way when creating bio-weapons…or so I'm told." Dr. Chakwas explained as Jane thought of something.

"Bio-weapons." she said as she turned to the computer and started running a simulation with the formula on a single species.

"Have you got something?" Lizbeth asked as Jane turned back to her.

"I might. Call it a hunch but it would definitely explain why Cerberus wanted Dad's research." Jane said as Chakwas and Lizbeth leaned forward in expectation of an answer.

"And that would be?" Lizbeth asked.

"I don't want to say until I'm certain. I don't want a certain one of our companions to get his hopes up should he find out." Jane said as Lizbeth groaned.

"Ooh this is going to be torture." Lizbeth grumbled as she headed for the door with Dr. Chakwas close behind.

Jane was alone for only a couple short minutes until Liara entered.

"I have heard that you may already have a theory of what the formula is used for." Liara said as she sat down where Lizbeth was a moment ago.

"Yes but I'm not explaining it until the results come back. So we have nothing to do but wait." Jane replied as she turned to the asari scientist.

"Then perhaps we can take the opportunity to…get to know one another better as Lieutenant Williams says." Liara suggested as Jane shrugged.

"Sure I don't mind." Jane replied with a smile, "I know it's improper to ask a woman their age but…how old are you exactly?"

"I am one hundred and eight years old…though that is still little more than a child by asari standards. Why did you say it was improper to ask a woman of their age?" Liara asked as Jane shrugged.

"Just something dad taught me. He always told me never to ask a woman their age. He said it was rude to ask that." Jane said as Liara looked confused.

"He must not have known any asari. We are proud of our age. Much like the krogan value their age for the number of battles they have survived, we value our age for our wisdom. An asari matriarch is considered to be among of the wisest of our people." Liara explained proudly.

"I haven't had much interaction with an asari before…so my knowledge of you and your people is pretty scarce by comparison. Though that doesn't mean I haven't read up on your people though. I know your physiology your, (ahem) mating process, and such." Jane said as Liara smiled softly.

"I would be honored to tell you more of my people. But I am curious about your past…your past before the blitz. What was it like?" Liara asked as Jane leaned back in thought.

"Well…it wasn't that happy really. I moved around a lot never had time to make friends my own age. Though there was one time when I was sixteen that my father and I lived on Demeter. That was probably a life changing event." Jane said as she blushed from the memories.

"How so?"Liara asked confused.

"Well…it was when I…(Giggle) lost my virginity." Jane said bashfully.

"Pardon my confusion, but how is that significant?" Liara asked confused.

"Well…I didn't lose it the normal way…with a guy I mean. I really gave dad a shock when he found out that I had lost my virginity to a woman." Jane said as Liara nodded understandingly.

"I understand. Though I have never…"lost mine." I understand that it is the first time one engages in sexual intercourse but I have never done that. I have never even melded to such an extreme before, and probably won't for at least two hundred years." Liara said as Jane nodded.

"Oh yeah…the matron stage." Jane muttered.

"You are aware of the asari life stages?" Liara asked.

"Sure." Jane replied hesitantly, as if she had been caught saying something she shouldn't have.

"Where did you learn of them?" Liara asked. She could tell there was something in Jane's body language that said she wasn't telling the truth.

"I…uh…I read it." Jane said nervously.

"I don't believe you are telling the truth. Your actions are implying that my assessment is correct. You have indeed had interactions with asari before." Liara said as Jane remained silent.

"Why would you lie to me? I have been nothing if not upfront with you, I have no secrets to hide, nothing to keep from you. Why do you keep secrets from me?" Liara asked confused as Jane finally exploded.

"Because my first time was with an asari!" Jane shouted tearfully as Liara froze.

"Her name was Aluna. She was my friend for years, we remained in contact until a few days before the blitz when she actually came to Elysium to see me, we went out a couple times…then the blitz happened. She died in the blitz. We were even discussing marriage." Jane said through her tears as Liara looked distraught.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to bring up such painful memories. I shouldn't have pressed the issue." Liara said as Jane shook her head.

"No. Don't be. The reason I didn't say anything at first is because…A: I don't know how John would react to my being bisexual, and B: because I'm still grieving over Aluna. It got worse recently." Jane explained.

"How?" Liara asked as she tried to comfort the grieving woman.

"I was looking up her profile while we were at the Citadel, using my Spectre team membership and discovered that when they autopsied her body, they discovered she was only a couple days pregnant and the girl had distinct human genes in it. I was the father or dame or whatever you call the father…the thought that one of my closest and dearest friends and now hers and my unborn daughter are dead…" Jane said as she ran her hands over her teary eyed face.

"I cannot begin to fathom how difficult it must be to live with that knowledge. I cannot even begin to know what keeps you going either." Liara said as Jane sighed.

"You want to know how I live with it? You want to know what keeps me going?" Jane asked as she pulled out a small tattered leather wallet from her pocket.

"This was mine; I found it at my house back in Elysium. It survived the blitz." Jane said as she opened up the wallet to reveal a photo inside of Jane and a young blue skinned asari woman holding hands on a park bench.

"I live for her, it's what she would have wanted me to do…I keep going…for revenge. Revenge on the batarian swine that murdered my friend, my daughter, and my father and took me as a slave in one night. Because that's what I want." Jane said as she pocketed the wallet.

"I'm sorry Shepard…I never meant to bring back those memories." Liara said as Jane remained silent and just walked out the door, leaving Liara behind to contemplate what had happened.

Jane in the meantime sat down at the empty galley table as she sobbed. She didn't realize she wasn't totally alone until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Kaiden looking at her concerned.

"What's wrong?" Kaiden asked worriedly as he sat down next to her.

"Nothing…It's personal." Jane replied as Kaiden looked around.

"Is it too personal to talk about?" He asked as Jane nodded.

"Not in a public place like this." Jane said as Kaiden took her by the hand.

"Maybe, but the most private place on the ship, second only to the Captain's quarters, is in the sleeper hall over here. Come on." Kaiden said as he led her to the back wall of the corridor filled with the sleeping pods.

"What about now?" Kaiden asked as Jane sighed and quickly explained about her and Aluna.

"Wow. So…why get so mad at Liara?" Kaiden asked out of concern.

"I'm not mad at her…I'm just conflicted is all. I want to be close to her, but I keep seeing Aluna instead of Liara when I do. By the same token, I can be just as happy with a man…a man who cares enough to help a practical stranger when she feels distressed." Jane said as she ran her hand gently over Kaiden's cheek before pulling him into an unexpected kiss.

From the elevator, John and Ashley were headed towards Shepard's quarters but stopped in surprise when they saw the two making out in the back hall. Ashley quickly dragged Shepard into his quarters.

"Oh that definitely killed the mood." John muttered.

"Aww man." She grumbled. She was very much in the mood.

"Well at least she found someone." John said as Ashley groaned.

"Well good for her…will you drop your pants now?" She asked in an almost demanding fashion.

"Take it easy Ash. Calm down a moment." John said as Ashley shook her head.

"No. This is before an inevitable battle and I'm not going to settle for anything less." Ashley said as Shepard blinked at her surprised then shrugged.

* * *

**  
Later…**

John appeared on the bridge in full combat armor but with the helmet tucked neatly under his arm.

"Okay boys and girls we're about to arrive in the Perseus Veil." Joker said as the Normandy emerged from the Mass Relay and instantly activated its stealth systems.

"Okay we're in, now let's just hope the quarian's astronavigation charts are still good." Shepard said as Joker nodded.

"You and me both Cap'n." Joker said as the Normandy flew into the massive cloud like nebula of the Veil. After a few tense moments of navigation, they finally reached the quarian capital's solar system.

"We're reading a whole mess of geth ships around this one planet here. Almost the same size as the fleet that attacked the Citadel only smaller by at least ten percent…and no Reaper vessel in sight." Pressley said as John peered at the sensor readings.

"Never say never Pressley…I've been wondering if the Reapers don't have some kind of contingency plan if their usual plan should ever fail. I'm hoping in their arrogant superiority complex that they believe their plans infallible…but we never know do we?" John asked as Pressley nodded in agreement.

"Good to see I'm not the only one thinking that." Pressley said as John nodded and patted him on the back.

"Okay then Pressley. The ship's all yours. I want you, Williams, and Jane to deliver the Intel from the surface personally to Admiral Hackett. Remember Tali, Kaiden, Garrus and I will be down there until the fleet arrives." Shepard said as he headed for the stairway doors.

"You can count on us sir…and Captain!" Pressley said as Shepard paused and turned to his 2IC expectantly…

"Godspeed sir." Pressley said as he stood at attention with a salute which Shepard returned before heading down the stairs.

* * *

**  
End Chapter 15.**

I wanted to delve more into Jane's background and delve more into her romantic preference. I've had Jane listed as Bisexual since I came up with her so it wasn't just a spur of the moment thing…her having lost her virginity to an asari on the other hand is a different story.

Though if one thinks about it, since the asari are mono-gendered, can it truly be considered homosexuality for a human female to be attracted to a mono-gendered female? An interesting philosophical question. Feel free to post your support or arguments in your reviews, but please be respectful of other's opinions.

And for the sake of keeping the rating at T, I won't include a lemon scene in this fic.


	16. The Quarian Homeworld

The crew was holding their breath as the Normandy raced quickly and quietly through the geth blockade around the quarian capital planet. John, Tali, Garrus, and Kaiden were sitting in the Mako waiting for the signal. Finally the Normandy made it swiftly into the atmosphere and found a perfect release point for the Mako. The Mako shot from the garage of the Normandy and began its fast plummet to the surface.

The jump jets fired a few meters from the surface and allowed the Mako to land safely just outside the ruined capital city. The Mako quickly turned and headed into the city and sought refuge in an empty warehouse.

"Scans indicate that the environment is breathable. We won't need full breath masks." Kaiden said as John nodded and opened the side hatch as the three disembarked.

"Normandy this is Shepard, do you read?" John asked into his comms.

"_Loud and clear. Our scans of the geth ships show that they're all shut down or on standby. Almost as if they're waiting for something to wake them up. How about on your end?"_ Pressley asked via the comms. Garrus, from a small ledge with his sniper rifle armed, looked around through the sniper's scope. The only geth he saw lay dormant as well. Many of them were covered with dust and some had fallen over due to the occasional wind that blew through the city.

"The geth down here are asleep too. They might have sensors near the relays though so be on your guard. We're going to take a look around down here but by a quick estimate, I'd say we're looking at over a thousand geth." John said as Tali tapped him on the shoulder and motioned out a window in the warehouse at a veritable army of inactive geth in an assembly area with drop ships landed around the perimeter.

"Umm you might want to add a million to that." John said as Tali steered his gaze to a massive open field where an army of geth, as far as the eye could see, spilling through a large canyon.

"Okay you know what…there's like, a billion more geth than that here so just go ahead and get some nukes ready, cause we're going to need some serious firepower to knock out this army." John said as he gave Tali a look that said "If you show me any more I'm cracking your helmet open."

"_Copy that Captain. Normandy is currently en route to the Relay, we'll see you later sir."_ Pressley said before Ashley commandeered the communicators.

"_Don't you go dying on me Shepard!"_ Ashley said as John smiled and shook his head.

"I won't Ash. Shepard out." John said as he and the others sought refuge on the Mako.

"Okay. We've got an army of geth out there lying dormant and a fleet a little smaller than the one that attacked the Citadel. I'd say the planet is a lost cause right now and that an orbital bombardment and nuclear holocaust of this place is probably the only way to take this planet." John said as Tali sighed and nodded.

"I never thought I would agree with you about my people's homeworld Shepard, but unless we want to lose countless lives which could potentially be transformed into Husks in the field and turned against us then I don't see much reason to bother with a ground attack. My people have lived away from home for centuries; a few more won't hurt us. Besides, we can use the opportunity to start adjusting our bodies so that our immune systems are strong enough to live without fear of infection should we remove them." Tali said as Garrus nodded in agreement.

"I still believe that it would be a smart move to dispose of the geth fleet in orbit and trap the geth here. Shoot down any drop ships that attempt to leave and then bombard the surface starting with the largest concentrations of geth forces and working down to the smallest." Garrus suggested as Shepard shrugged.

"True. But for now we've got nothing else to do but wait. My orders for now are simple. Sit back, relax, maintain radio silence, and don't leave the warehouse." Shepard said as he pressed a button on the Mako's control panel and locked the Mako's systems down.

"This may sound silly…but I'm going to get a breath of fresh air…figuratively speaking of course." Tali said as she grabbed a holo-recorder and headed outside.

"Garrus, keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't get too curious and leave the warehouse. If she does…trail her and report to us. Break radio silence only when necessary." John ordered as Garrus nodded and followed after Tali.

"Now then Kaiden…why did I see you and my sister making out in the sleeper hall earlier today?" John asked as he removed his helmet and gave the Lieutenant a knowing look.

"It's a private matter. It's something she wants to tell you personally. I promised not to tell you." Kaiden said as John looked confused.

"What that you're seeing each other? I'm okay with it Kaiden. She's a grown woman…heck if she wanted to go out with Wrex I would be fine with it…a-little-disturbed-and-blind-from-gouging-my-eyes out-with-my-own-service-knife…but fine." John said as Kaiden shook his head.

"Sir that's not it…it is a factor but that's not it." Kaiden said as John gave him a smirk.

"You're not telling me are ya?" John asked as Kaiden shook his head.

"With all due respect…no sir." Kaiden said as John nodded.

"Okay then…Any idea what my father was working on before his untimely demise?" John asked as Kaiden recalled his conversation with Liara.

"Only that it doesn't affect asari, humans, or turians. But I got that from Liara." Kaiden replied.

"Ah. It is a mystery what my father created but hopefully we'll manage to find out. My sister's smart she'll figure it out." John said as Kaiden nodded in agreement.

"That she is." Kaiden said as he reclined in his seat, "Any word from Charn about Rahna?"

"None yet. He's probably trying to find her. Or maybe Balak's keeping her for himself. None of the options present a good scenario." John said as Kaiden sighed and nodded.

"I just hope she doesn't wind up being scared of me." Kaiden said as John smiled.

"Hey, it was years ago, why would such a little thing that happened years ago continue to keep you apart?" John asked as Kaiden shrugged.

"Well the fact we haven't spoken in years is a pretty good indication." Kaiden replied.

"True. But don't lose faith. When she finds out that you have been trying to rescue her, then she'll probably realize that you're not the monster that killed that turian commander all those years ago, who died because he brought physical harm to her." John said as Kaiden nodded.

"Since when have you become a shrink?" Kaiden asked as John laughed.

"Ehh. Just practicing so one day I can be a good father and dispense sage advice…and no, Ash isn't pregnant…at least not yet." John said as Kaiden nodded understandingly with a smirk.

"Why haven't you two gotten married yet?" Kaiden asked curiously.

"Well…true confessions, we are engaged as of two months ago. We've just been keeping it under wraps until we can find a suitable date for the wedding. We're waiting until command orders the Normandy in for some routine maintenance then we can take advantage of the down time. We plan so far on getting married in a traditional Earth ceremony with a minister…the reason I tell you is because we've already been doing some planning and we want you to be our best man." John said as Kaiden blinked in surprise.

"Are you serious? I would be honored!" Kaiden said as John smiled and nodded.

"Okay that's out of the way so…all that leaves is getting her sisters to be her bridesmaids and Liara to be our maid of honor. I figured we could get Wrex to be the flower girl." John said with a mischievous grin as Kaiden nearly had a seizure from laughing so hard at the mental image of Wrex prancing down the aisle in a dress and throwing flower pedals.

"I know, that one cracked Ash up too." John said with a huge grin.

"I wonder if we could get Tali to remove her mask for the occasion." Kaiden pondered.

"I have been curious as to what she looks like underneath that mask. I'll bet that she's beautiful under there." John said as Kaiden shrugged.

"Maybe…maybe not. Neither of us has seen what she looks like under there. I did see her shoving some small brown tube into a slot near her mouthpiece, but she said it was a nutritional substance that she picked up from the Flotilla." Kaiden said as John nodded and the quarian in question returned with Garrus in tow.

"Get any good pictures?" John asked as Tali nodded.

"Oh yes, many. Though sadly they all have geth in them. I would rather not have my people remember their homeworld as a geth infested wasteland but if it's going to be the last images of our home, then I guess it'll have to suffice." Tali said as Garrus pondered.

"If the fleet does decide to bomb this place, then perhaps we could call upon the salarians to provide their assistance in cleaning up the radiation. C-Sec has heard rumors that the salarians have been developing a special device that's designed to clear radiation. They plan on testing it on the Krogan homeworld since there is a surplus of hot zones there. If it works then perhaps they could use it on a large scale here and reduce the amount of time it will take before the quarians can resettle here." Garrus pondered.

"Not a bad idea Garrus." Kaiden said as Tali started scanning through the images she had collected. She then looked at her hand and groaned in frustration.

"Keelah. This visor is absolutely impossible to see clearly through." Tali grumbled as she pressed a button on the side of her helmet but nothing happened, causing her to curse in her language again.

"And the internal visor cleaner isn't working. How wonderful, I'll have to clean it by hand." Tali grumbled but realized her situation. The environment wasn't sterile.

"Tali, do you need us to leave?" John asked as Tali sighed and nodded.

"I'll have to shut the door, and then fill the Mako with a vaporized sterilizing agent. It's proven safe to machinery and organics but it is preferred that only quarians be present when it's used. Quarian engineers developed it for quarians going on their pilgrimage so they can clean their helmets manually should the internal cleaner fail." Tali said as she held out a small device with a tube of a clear bubbly liquid attached to it.

"We'll leave…but can you do us a favor?" John asked as Tali cocked her head to one side curiously.

"Take a picture of your face for us, we are dying to know what you're hiding under there." John said as Tali giggled slightly.

"Certainly Shepard. I do suppose you deserve to see my face…though I'm probably nothing to look at." Tali said as the three shuffled out of the Mako, closing the door behind them. Garrus went around to the front of the Mako, and peered through the windshield.

"Good thinking Garrus." John said as he and Kaiden joined him at the front.

"I must confess that curiosity is getting the better of me as well. How does that quaint little human euphemism go? Curiosity murdered the feline?" Garrus asked as John nodded.

"That's pretty much it." John said. Inside the Mako, the cabin lights went on, revealing Tali inside fiddling with her helmet, but her back was turned to the window so they couldn't see her face.

She finally slid the helmet off, revealing a head of raven black hair bound in a tight swirling bun on the back of her head. Her skin was a pale green.

"Okay so we know that quarians are naturally green. I guess the visors on the helmet tend to obscure the color a lot." Kaiden said as Garrus turned away as if he heard something and headed for one of the warehouse windows.

A few seconds later, Tali had finished cleaning the helmet and set it upside down on her lap as she grabbed her holo-recorder and snapped a quick photo of herself. She checked the photo real quick then shook slightly as if laughing then daintily waved her two finger one thumbed hand over her shoulder at the two peeping toms before putting her helmet back on. She then emerged from the Mako with her helmet back on and the holo-recorder in her hand.

"Sorry about spying on you Tali but curiosity got the better of us." John said as Tali laughed.

"Don't worry about it Shepard. Here's the photo you asked for." Tali said as John and Kaiden looked at the image of Tali's face. She was basically a human with pale green skin, black hair and bright shining sky blue eyes like the geth's single optic. Her teeth however were all serrated. She also had a pair of strange skin folds on her face that went from the bridge of her nose, up to her forehead where it curved and went in opposite directions towards the sides, creating a V shape with the folds facing inward. All in all, she was gorgeous.

"I wish they made those visors more transparent, you're beautiful Tali." John said as Tali looked away bashfully.

"Beautiful by human standards at least. But I am thankful for your kind words." Tali said. But before anyone could say anything else, they heard a loud rumble from outside and the ground started shaking.

"SHEPARD!" Garrus shouted from near one of the windows as the three raced over to where he was. They looked out and saw every single geth activate. But what made them back away in terror was the massive black starship that descended from the skies. It was larger than any dreadnaught but it was landing right atop the quarian capital building as it gave of massive orange sparks and bolts of electricity.

"No…it's impossible!" Kaiden said in disbelief as John shook his head.

"No…it's possible alright. We just hoped it wasn't. I've been suspecting there was another one in this galaxy…and I wish I had been proven wrong." John said as they all gazed up in fear of the massive Reaper ship now perched atop the spire-like capital building as the geth all turned towards it.

"Sovereign?! It can't be. We destroyed it!" Kaiden said as John quickly clamped his mouth shut.

"Not so loud! You want the geth to hear us?!" John asked in a terse whisper.

"I don't think this is Sovereign. It must be a different Reaper." Garrus whispered as Tali quickly snapped a few shots of the massive vessel.

"I sure hope the Normandy saw it and got word back to the fleet." John said as they heard the sound of a thousand engines powering up. They looked out the windows to see the geth drop ships powering up and taking on troops. The filled ones then lifted off into the air, as did a large fleet of freshly completed capital ships.

"Oh we're in trouble. We never considered ships on the ground." John said as they heard the Sovereign look-a-like roar and start to lift off into the sky.

"It's leaving? Why?" Tali asked confused.

"No clue. But we'll find out soon." John said as the massive Reaper joined the geth fleet in orbit.

They remained in hiding for what seemed like hours then finally mustered the courage to peer out. Much to their surprise, most if not all of the geth were missing for an unknown reason.

"They're gone?! Where did they go?!" Tali asked as John quickly ran to the Mako and checked the sensors. There wasn't a single contact.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Kaiden said as John nodded.

"Ditto. Our long range sensors don't detect any for miles." John said as they all pondered.

"It must have come to collect the geth for something. It might be trying to go after the citadel again." Garrus said worriedly, causing John to pause.

"Or something similar." John said as he scratched his chin.

"What else would it be going after Shepard?" Tali asked.

"I don't know for sure but it might be heading for where it can find some new slaves to indoctrinate. Saren acted as Sovereign's primary servant, so the Reapers probably require some kind of avatar or something like that to do its bidding on the ground where it can't interfere." John said as Kaiden remembered something.

"Like what Vigil said on Ilos. He said that the Reapers would come in and indoctrinate entire planets. It would then send a few of the indoctrinated in as sleeper agents to refugee worlds so that the Reapers could find and exterminate the entire Prothean civilization." Kaiden explained, earning a nod from John.

"Good thinking Kaiden. If this new Reaper is after a servant, what would be the best kind to have?" John asked. The three looked at each other curiously for a minute before shrugging in unison.

"The dangerous kind?" Tali guessed, clueless.

"A willing servant makes the best kind, and where else could you find a willing servant for a Reaper? The one place where a cult that worships them is located. The Terminus Systems." John said.

"I'm not so sure Shepard. From what I've read of the Children of the Reapers, it seems to be more of an excuse to go to war with the Citadel than an actual cult." Garrus said.

"That changes Shepard's point, how, Garrus?" Kaiden asked as the turian nodded understandingly.

"Not very much I'm afraid." Garrus replied.

"Does this mean we're going into the Terminus, Captain?" Kaiden asked.

"I don't know. The Normandy is an Alliance and technically Citadel ship. They'd probably recognize it in an instant." Shepard said as Tali had an idea.

"Perhaps if we had a ship that wasn't Alliance or Citadel." Tali said, earning looks from her three companions.

"What do you mean?" John asked.

"Well, this might sound strange but what if we were able to convince one of the smaller quarian vessels to let us use their ship for our mission." Tali suggested.

"It's not a bad idea, but I don't like the thought of giving up the Normandy. If we could keep her with us somehow, like keep her stashed inside of a hanger bay or something." Shepard thought.

"The Flotilla has some ships that easily dwarf the Normandy. The Citadel would probably have to surrender a few ships to make it an even trade but the prospect of having newer ships, albeit smaller ones, for my people to spread out in would probably make them happier." Tali said as John nodded.

"I'll talk with the Council as soon as we get back to the Citadel. Hopefully they won't try and dissuade us." John said as the others nodded. Just then there was a beeping noise coming from the sensors.

"Well it looks like the fleet's arrived." Kaiden said. Soon the familiar voice of Admiral Hackett was heard.

"_Shepard, we've arrived with the quarians but we're not detecting any geth."_ Hackett said over the comms.

"Admiral this is urgent! Get every ship but the Normandy to the nearest Mass Relays! We saw a Reaper land and then leave mere minutes ago sir! We suspect that it might be a trap!" John said quickly.

"_Understood Shepard, we're taking evasive action but we still haven't detected any ships, geth or otherwise. The Normandy is in route to your location. Fifth Fleet out."  
_

* * *

**End Chapter 16.**


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